Miners Earn Dramatic Doubleheader Sweep over Freedom
June 28, 2018 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners swept a doubleheader from the Florence Freedom on Wednesday night at Rent One Park, topping the visitors 6-4 in seven innings in the first contest before walking off the Freedom in game two by a score of 2-1 on Kyle Davis' home run in the eighth inning.
In the first game, two Miners errors led to two runs for the Freedom in the top of the second inning, and the visitors extended that advantage when Caleb Lopes homered and Jordan Brower delivered a two-out double to plate two more runs and take a 4-0 lead against Southern Illinois starter Kurt Heyer.
But the Miners would come all the way back thanks to the long ball. Leading off the third inning, Harrison Bragg hit his second homer of the season out to deep right-center field off Freedom starter Chuck Weaver (1-3) to get Southern Illinois on the board and make it 4-1. Still down by that score entering the fifth, the Miners would score five in the inning to take the lead for good- Romeo Cortina blasted a solo homer leading off the frame to bring the black and gold within 4-2. Three singles capped off by Joe Duncan's infield hit to third base then made the score 4-3, and two batters later, Nolan Earley slammed a go-ahead, three-run home run out to deep right field to put the Miners in front 6-4.
Florence threatened the lead in the seventh inning, getting the tying runs in scoring position, but with two outs, Michael Starcevich struck out Brower swinging to end the game and record his second save of the season. Heyer (3-3) got the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs with six strikeouts in six innings of work.
In the second game, a pitcher's duel ensued as Geno Encina and Cody Gray each started the game with three straight scoreless innings, with Encina retiring the first ten batters he faced and Gray striking out seven batters in that span. The Freedom broke through in the fourth inning, as after Lopes broke up Encina's perfect game with a bunt single, he eventually scored on a fielder's choice by Andre Mercurio for a 1-0 lead. The Miners would scratch across the tying run against Gray, however, in the fifth, when Austin Homan brought Bragg in with an RBI single to make it 1-1.
The game stayed tied into extra innings, and on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth from Brian McKenna (0-2), Davis, making his Miners debut, launched it over the left-center field wall for his first hit as a Miner, a walk-off homer to give Southern Illinois the clean sweep of the doubleheader.
Southern Illinois will go for a series sweep on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. in Marion, with Steven Ridings making his home debut on the mound against Florence's Zach Kirby.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the Frontier League's winningest franchise since debuting in 2007, winning the 2012 Frontier League Championship as well as division titles in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016. 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 their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the box office at (618) 998-8499. For additional information, visit our website at www.siminers.com.
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