Miners Bounce Back, Beat Rascals
Published on July 8, 2016 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Southern Illinois takes lead in the third, holds it to back strong start by Ludwig
Marion, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners got back into the win column on Friday night at Rent One Park, rebounding from back-to-back defeats by beating the River City Rascals 5-2 thanks to a strong start by Dan Ludwig and clutch hitting in the third that allowed them to take the lead for good.
After Ludwig (6-1) wiggled out of trouble in the first, stranding a runner at third base, the Miners got the lead in the bottom half right away against Tim Koons (3-3), as Aaron Gates and Shane Kennedy hit back-to-back doubles to give Southern Illinois a 1-0 lead. River City would tie the score on a single by Braxton Martinez in the third inning, but Ludwig induced a double-play grounder to avoid further damage.
In the third, the Miners would take the lead again as Francisco Rosario and Gates drew two straight leadoff walks. Two batters later, with Rosario now at third and Gates running on the pitch from first, Alex De Leon dumped a two-run single into center field, with Gates making it home from first on the throw in from the outfield and De Leon taking second base, giving the Miners a 3-1 lead. Vin Guglietti would add an RBI single of his own for a 4-1 advantage. River City would get a run back in the top of the fourth, but Edison Sanchez would homer to left for his first long ball as a Miner, a solo shot for the 5-2 final margin.
Ludwig ended up settling down and working six and one-third innings, allowing just one earned run on eight hits to earn the victory, which stood up thanks to solid relief pitching. River City would get the tying run to the plate in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but Kyle Tinius, Chris DeBoo and Adam Lopez, respectively, each held the Rascals off the scoreboard, with Lopez pitching the ninth for his first save of the season.
Gates finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Kennedy doubled twice in going 2-for-4 to lead the Miners offensively, and the team will go for the series win on Saturday afternoon with a special start time of 4:05 p.m. The starters for both teams have yet to be officially named.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the back-to-back 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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