Miners Rally for Doubleheader Split, Series Win
July 28, 2019 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners lost the first game of their doubleheader against the Florence Freedom on Saturday in heartbreaking fashion by a score of 2-1 in eight innings, but thanks to a late comeback, they beat the Freedom 3-2 in seven innings in the second contest to secure a split as well as a two-games-to-one series win at Rent One Park.
In the first game, Kyle Davis cranked his team-leading tenth homer of the season off Jonathon Tripp over the center field wall to make it 1-0 Southern Illinois. Cole Cook made the lead stand up until the fourth inning, when Jackson Pritchard's RBI single tied the game. Cook was able to minimize the damage, as both he and Tripp threw five innings and allowed just a single run.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Miners had a great chance to win, as after Andy Cosgrove was hit by a pitch leading off, Jarrod Watkins walked and Joe Duncan sacrificed them both into scoring position. With Cosgrove representing the winning run at third base with just one out, however, the Miners were unable to score, and in the first extra inning, Caleb Lopes hit a go-ahead solo shot to deal Southern Illinois the defeat.
In the second contest, the Freedom got the lead in the second inning on an RBI double by Brandon Pugh, but that was all Andrew Bernstein allowed in five solid innings of work in his first professional start. Freedom starter Zak Spivy (0-4) cruised in the early part of the game, retiring nine batters in a row at one point, but with the score still 1-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Miners pounced.
Watkins led off with an infield hit, and Gianfranco Wawoe reached on an error by Austin Wobrock. Spivy departed after a popout in favor of Hayden Wheeler, but that move proved to be costly as Jamey Smart came up against the left-hander and promptly tied the game with an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 11 in a row in the process. On the next pitch, Arturo Nieto brought in the lead run with an RBI double to the warning track in right field, making it 2-1 Southern Illinois. A fielder's choice hit into by Cletis Avery along with an error on a dropped ball at the plate by Ryan Rinsky allowed Smart to then score what eventually became the winning run and make it 3-1.
Nick Durazo (3-2), making his return to Southern Illinois, surrendered a solo home run to Luis Pintor leading off the seventh inning, but Florence would get no closer as Benjamin Dum retired the next three batters for the save, with Southern Illinois notching the series win over the first-place Freedom.
The Miners are off for the next two days, and will return to action on Tuesday, July 30, at 6:35 p.m. in the opener of a three-game home set against the Joliet Slammers at Rent One Park.
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. For ticket information, contact the box office at (618) 998-8499. For additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.
Frontier League Stories from July 28, 2019
- Rascals Edge Crushers on Morisano's Blast - River City Rascals
- Crushers Lose Pitcher's Duel to Drop Series with River City - Lake Erie Crushers
- Grizzlies Sweep Doubleheader, Win Series - Gateway Grizzlies
- Wild Things Shutout Boomers to Salvage Game in Weekend Set - Washington Wild Things
- Welch, Castro Lead Otters to Weekend Sweep - Evansville Otters
- Evansville's Late Run Puts Away ThunderBolts - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Boomers Blanked by Washington in Series Finale - Schaumburg Boomers
- Isaac Benard to Play in Pan-American Games - Florence Y'alls
- Lake Erie Splits Twin Bill in River City - Lake Erie Crushers
- Phillips' Grand Slam Highlights Otters' Win - Evansville Otters
- Doubleheader Split Nets Series Loss for Freedom - Florence Y'alls
- Rascals Split Doubleheader - River City Rascals
- Miners Rally for Doubleheader Split, Series Win - Southern Illinois Miners
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
