Miners Drop Rain-Shortened Finale at Normal
June 7, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. (June 7, 2015) - The Southern Illinois Miners nearly rallied all the way back from a six-run early deficit on Sunday afternoon at The Corn Crib, but with a three runs in already in the sixth and the tying run on second base with none out, Mother Nature had other plans, as rain cancelled the rest of the game, with the contest finishing 7-6 in favor of the Normal CornBelters.
Normal jumped on top with six runs in the first two innings, including a grand slam home run from Richard Lucas in the first inning. The Miners would battle back, however, with three runs of their own in the fourth to get back into the game. Aaron Gates and Michael Earley got on with back-to-back singles to lead off. After Normal starter Kevin Johnson (2-1) got a strikeout for the first out, Frank Martinez hit a high bouncer to second base, reaching on an infield single when Santiago Chirino could not field the ball. Chirino then threw the ball wild to first base allowing Gates to score. Wendell Fairley followed with an RBI groundout and Niko Vasquez hit a big two-out single to score another run, making the score 6-3.
The CornBelters would score what proved to be the winning run in the bottom half of the inning on a bases-loaded walk, but the home team would not score after that. With the skies darkening and rain beginning to fall, the Miners came to bat in the sixth inning and chased Johnson from the game when Martinez crushed a solo home run followed by a Fairley double over the head of the center fielder. Vasquez and Steve Marino would follow with doubles of their own as Southern Illinois crept within a run at 7-6. But by that time, the rain was falling hard enough to stop play.
The game, which was official thanks to at least five innings being played, was then called due to rain after a delay of approximately an hour. Vasquez and Martinez had two hits apiece for the Miners, who won the series with the CornBelters two games to one.
With their overall record at 14-7 through 21 games, the Miners will head home to face the Frontier Greys at Rent One Park on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Rick Teasley will pitch for the Miners against the Greys' Bobby Shore.
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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