Miners Pitch their Way to Win at Windy City
Published on June 8, 2021 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners got an outstanding performance from Zac Westcott on the mound on Tuesday night, as he pitched eight strong innings to make a first-inning rally stand up in a 3-2 victory over the Windy City ThunderBolts at Ozinga Field in Crestwood.
The Miners took the lead right away in the first inning against ThunderBolts ace Tyler Thornton (2-1), as the right-hander issued back-to-back leadoff walks to Jarrod Watkins and Yeltsin Gudiño before a Luke Mangieri single loaded the bases with no one out. Two batters later, Anthony Brocato drew yet another walk to force in a run and make it 1-0, followed by a hit-by-pitch of Ian Walters to make it 2-0. Jared Mang then beat out a double-play ground ball at first base that would have ended the inning, scoring another runner from third base and making the score 3-0 Southern Illinois.
That ended up being all the offense the Miners needed. Westcott (2-0) allowed leadoff baserunners in each of the first five innings, but worked around the runners to be effective. Windy City got a two-out RBI triple by Rob Calabrese in the third inning to make it 3-1, and then a Calabrese RBI single in the fifth which made the score 3-2 and put the tying run at third base with only one out. But with runners on the corners, Zach Racusin lined into an inning-ending double play to preserve the Miners' one-run lead.
Westcott then turned it up another notch, as he ended up retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced from that point onward. He finished with eight innings of work, two walks, and five strikeouts to earn his second victory of the season in his first career start against Windy City, with whom he pitched from 2016-18. Joey Pulido then polished off the win with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning for the save as the Miners took the series opener.
The Miners will now go for back-to-back victories against the ThunderBolts in game two of the series on Wednesday, June 9, at 7:05 p.m. Gunnar Kines will make the start for Southern Illinois in another matchup of experienced pitchers against ThunderBolts southpaw Kenny Mathews.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the Frontier League's most-successful 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. In addition, they have sent 59 players to MLB organizations in their 13 years of operation. For ticket information, contact the box office at (618) 998-8499. For additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.
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