Miners Blow out Grizzlies to Even Series
July 7, 2021 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners recorded season-highs in both runs scored and hits for a single game on Wednesday night, scoring in every inning except one as they throttled the Gateway Grizzlies 14-3 at Rent One Park in Marion, evening the midweek series at one game apiece.
The Grizzlies grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first against Kaleb Schmidt on RBI doubles by Andres Regnault and Chase Vallot, but the lead was short-lived, as the Miners came up against Gateway starter Drew Clavenna (2-1) in the bottom of the frame, and answered with four runs of their own. Ian Walters kicked off the scoring with the bases loaded and one out by driving in two runs with a double to tie the game at 2-2, and was followed by consecutive RBI singles from Jared Mang and Luke Mangieri, as the Miners earned a 4-2 lead after just one inning.
Southern Illinois would then take advantage of Clavenna's wildness to score three more runs in the second inning with two outs without the aid of a hit thanks to four walks and two hit batters in the frame. Walters, Mang, and Mangieri each picked up RBIs in the frame as the Miners held a 7-2 lead after two. They would then chase Clavenna from the contest in the third, as Nolan Earley lined an RBI single to center field to make it 8-2.
The Grizzlies got that run back in the next inning against Schmidt on a sacrifice fly by Justin Jones, but the Miners kept on coming offensively- Anthony Brocato's RBI double in the fourth made it 9-3, while Walters drove in his fourth run of the game with a single in the fifth inning that made it 10-3. Two more crossed the plate in the sixth on RBIs by Carson Bartels and Yeltsin Gudiño for a 12-3 margin, and Southern Illinois would cap their huge offensive night on an Earley two-run single in the bottom of the eighth for the final 14-3 score.
Overall, the Miners scored runs in every inning except the seventh, with Earley finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs, and Bartels matching Earley with three hits while scoring four times as well. Walters, Mang, Mangieri, and Arturo Nieto added two-hit nights for Southern Illinois, with Walters setting a new career-high with four RBIs in addition to two apiece by Mang and Mangieri. The Miners' 14 total runs were a season-best, as were their 17 hits as a team, surpassing their previous highs in both categories from their June 20 win over Schaumburg on the road.
The Miners will now go for the series win over the Grizzlies in the finale of the set on Thursday, July 9, at 7:05 p.m. at Rent One Park. Gunnar Kines will pitch for the Miners in the rubber game, opposed by Grizzlies' right-hander Jorge Tavarez.
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