FL Southern Illinois Miners

Miners Make Big Comeback to Best Boomers, Take Series

June 20, 2021 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners trailed by six runs after two innings on Sunday, came all the way back to take the lead in the ninth, watched the Schaumburg Boomers tie it with a two-out home run, then scored three runs in the tenth to take an epic, 13-11 win in the rubber game of the weekend series at Wintrust Field in Schaumburg.

The Miners got on the board right away in the top of the first inning on Ian Walters' RBI single. Southern Illinois then loaded the bases, but got no more runs, and Schaumburg batted around in the bottom half against former Boomer Gunnar Kines, scoring six runs in the frame on homers by Matt Bottcher and Angelo Schmidt along with an RBI single by Nick Ames. An additional run came in on a passed ball in the second inning to make the score 7-1 Schaumburg after two innings.

Then the Miners began their comeback in the top of the third. Luke Mangieri led off with a walk, went all the way to third base on a wild pitch, and scored on another Walters RBI single to make the score 7-2. After Jared Mang hit a double, Nolan Earley brought Walters in on a groundout to make it 7-3. Anthony Brocato followed with an RBI single to bring the Miners within 7-4.

In the fifth, Earley drove in his second run of the game with an RBI single that scored Walters from second base and made it 7-5 Boomers, but Schaumburg got that run back in the bottom of the frame on a two-out RBI single by Alec Craig, making the score 8-5. Southern Illinois, undeterred, kept coming- a pair of leadoff walks in the top of the sixth and a single by Carson Bartels loaded the bases for Yeltsin Gudiño, and his sacrifice fly made the score 8-6. A wild pitch then scored an additional run and brought the Miners within 8-7.

Then the Miners pounced on Schaumburg closer Darryl Thompson in the top of the ninth- Walters led off with a walk, and was sacrificed to second base by Mang. Earley then tied the game with an RBI single to right field at 8-8, and Brocato followed by blasting a two-run, go-ahead home run to center field, putting Southern Illinois in front for the first time at 10-8 on his first long ball of the season. But the Boomers, down to their final out in the bottom half against Ryan Miller (1-0), tied the game on a two-run homer off the bat of Ames, knotting the score at 10-10 and sending the thrilling contest to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth with the International Tiebreaker in effect, the Miners drew back-to-back one-out walks of Isaiah Rivera (0-1), loading the bases for Ryan Stacy, who gave the Miners the lead again with a sacrifice fly at 11-10. Marshall Rich then came up after another walk re-loaded the bases, and singled to center field to drive in two more runs and make the score 13-10 Miners.

Those ended up being the winning runs, as Schaumburg again mounted a rally in the bottom of the tenth. Chase Dawson smashed a pinch-hit double off the top of the right field wall to score the automatic runner and make it 13-11, and Craig walked to put the winning runs on base. A sacrifice bunt by Brett Milazzo put the tying runs in scoring position with one out. But Miller buckled down, striking out pinch-hitter Nick Oddo swinging, and getting Bottcher to fly out to Stacy in right field, ending the epic game.

Bartels led the Miners with a career-high four hits, while Walters went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Earley added three RBIs in a 2-for-5 night, and Brocato also finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs in the game, as Southern Illinois clinched the series in Schaumburg for the first time since 2015. The six-run deficit overcome to win the game tied the second-largest in team history as well.

Having secured a winning record on their road trip, the Miners return home next for a six-game home stand that will begin on Wednesday, June 23, at 6:05 with a doubleheader against the Gateway Grizzlies at Rent One Park.

Check out the Southern Illinois Miners Statistics



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