FL Southern Illinois Miners

Marino, Miners Top Greys on Late Rally for 500th Win

Published on August 16, 2015 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


Marion, Ill. (August 16, 2015) - The Southern Illinois Miners rallied back from a deficit in the eighth inning for the second night in a row against the Frontier Greys at Rent One Park, with a go-ahead two-run single by Steve Marino, and this time secured the win by a score of 5-3, notching their 500th win in franchise history and becoming the fastest team in Frontier League history to 500 wins in the process.

The Greys for the seventh time in nine games against the Miners in Marion this season scored first in the game, getting all three of their runs on four hits in the third inning off of starter Ryan Brockett. But the Miners were able to chip away at the lead. Michael Earley led off the fourth inning with a triple and scored on a big two-out RBI single by Aaron Gates to make it 3-1. With Brockett and reliever Jon Klein (3-0) teaming up to hold the Greys off the scoreboard in the middle innings, Marino led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and ended up scoring on an RBI double ripped down the third base line off the bat of Brian Portelli for a 3-2 score.

In the eighth inning, the Miners again made their move against reliever Steven Wehr (1-3). After a strikeout, Wehr issued three straight walks to Frank Martinez, Niko Vasquez and Gates to load the bases. On the very next pitch, Marino lined a single through the left side of the infield, plating Martinez and pinch-runner Ryan DiMascio for a 4-3 Miners lead. Later in the inning, on a pop-out to first in foul territory, Gates bluffed home to draw a wild throw by Scott Carcaise to the plate, bringing home a fifth Miners run for the final margin.

Evan Mott earned his first save of the season in the ninth, striking out the first two hitters before the Greys put the tying runs into scoring position. Mott induced a grounder to Martinez at second to end the ballgame as Southern Illinois remained tied for first place and salvaged the series finale. The win made the Miners the fastest team in Frontier League history to 500 wins, achieving the milestone in game number 844 as a franchise. That shattered the previous mark of 500 wins in 895 games by 51, held by the Washington Wild Things.

Southern Illinois next heads on the road to begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday night against the River City Rascals at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. Miguel Ramirez will start the opener of the set opposed by Tim Koons, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2014 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at 618-998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

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Frontier League Stories from August 16, 2015


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