Miners Rally to Win in Extras, Split Doubleheader
Published on June 20, 2018 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Normal, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners dropped the first game of their doubleheader at The Corn Crib against the Normal CornBelters 7-4, but would rally in the seventh inning of game two to tie the score, then go ahead on Nolan Earley's solo homer in the eighth en route to a 5-4 victory, splitting the double-dip on Wednesday afternoon.
In the first game, after Normal grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead on an Andrew Godbold homer with two outs, Southern Illinois would claw their way into the lead, scoring single runs in the next three innings on an RBI single with two outs by Joe Duncan in the second, a Frontier League-best 11th homer off the bat of Chance Shepard in the third, and a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Luis Jean in the fourth. That gave them a 3-2 lead, which stood up until the fifth inning thanks to the pitching of Billy Griffin, who retired 10 batters in a row between the first and fifth frames.
But Normal would score five times in the frame off of Griffin (0-4) and Kyle Tinius, all with two outs as six straight runners reached after a leadoff base-on-balls and two groundouts. That put Normal up 7-3, and despite an RBI hit by Shepard in the seventh inning, the Miners could not get closer than 7-4.
In the second game, it was the Miners who scored first, grabbing three runs in the fourth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Romeo Cortina and a two-run home run from Harrison Bragg, with the latter clubbing his first long ball as a professional making his debut in the doubleheader for the Miners. Leading 3-0, Kurt Heyer dealt four scoreless frames in a row to begin the contest, but with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, a pair of errors with two outs by the Miners opened the door for the CornBelters to plate two unearned runs off of him to make it a 3-2 game.
Heyer ran into trouble in the sixth inning, as Normal loaded the bases for Cody Erickson, whose single tied the score at 3-3. A wild pitch by Michael Starcevich brought home a go-ahead run and made it 4-3, but down to their final three outs, Southern Illinois came back. In the seventh, a leadoff walk by Jean preceded a bunt by Duncan trying to sacrifice the runner to second base. Erickson threw the ball away down the right field line, and Jean scored all the way from first base on the play to make it 4-4.
After Starcevich (1-0) got out of a jam with the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, the game went to extra innings, where with one out in the eighth against George Faue (1-1), Earley blasted his sixth homer of the year over the right field wall to put the Miners ahead 5-4. Starcevich retired the side in order in the bottom half, and the Miners emerged with a split of the two games at The Corn Crib.
Southern Illinois will face the CornBelters in another doubleheader on Thursday night to close out the series, weather permitting, with Geno Encina taking the ball in the first game for the Miners against Normal lefty Ryan Lawlor at 5:05 p.m., and then Chris Washington drawing the assignment for game two against the CornBelters Matt Portland.
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.
Frontier League Stories from June 20, 2018
- Slow start haunts Crushers in 9-4 loss - Lake Erie Crushers
- First Inning Spurt Ignites Boomers - Schaumburg Boomers
- CornBelters Split Doubleheader with Miners - Normal CornBelters
- ThunderBolts Swept by Joliet in Split Doubleheader - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Miners Rally to Win in Extras, Split Doubleheader - Southern Illinois Miners
- Otters' Announce Upcoming Promos for Season-Long Nine-Game Homestand - Evansville Otters
- Relentless Offense Propels Otters over Freedom - Florence Y'alls
- Otters Even Series with Freedom Thanks to Season High in Hits - Evansville Otters
- Rascals Fall to Grizzlies in Game 2 - River City Rascals
- MacNabb, Grizzlies Cruise Past Rascals - Gateway Grizzlies
- Slammers Continue Winning Streak vs ThunderBolts - Joliet Slammers
- Former Delaware U, North Allegheny HS Standout Signs with Washington - Washington Wild Things
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.
