FL Southern Illinois Miners

Otters win over Miners

Published on September 4, 2011 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


MARION, Ill. - The Miners dropped their second in a row to Evansville, 11-7, Saturday night at Rent One Park in the final series of the regular season. Adam Wisniewski picked up the win for the Otters after pitching a scoreless sixth inning. Erik Draxton took his third loss of the season, allowing three runs in a third of an inning. The Otters smacked 14 hits and batted two pitchers in a wild game.

For the second night in a row, the Otters came back with a seventh inning rally. Alex Foltz and Greg Fontenot led off the inning with a pair of singles, and Dan Killian sacrificed them both into scoring position with a bunt. Jose Hernandez drew an intentional walked to get to Steve Caseres who drove in two runs on a single to give the Otters a 7-6 lead. Hernandez and Caseres came around to score later in the inning on a two-out, two-run single by Troy Frazier, which extended the lead to 9-6.

Evansville plated five runners off Miners starter Shawn Joy in the second inning to jump to a 5-0 lead. After Caseres drew a one-out walk, Phillip Britton put himself and Caseres in scoring position with his double. Troy Frazier was intentionally walked to load the bases for Chad Salem, who followed with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Joy. Foltz singled, stole second and scored on a single from Fontenot later in the inning to boost the Otter lead to 5-0.

Southern Illinois answered back in the third inning, with four runs of their own. Sean Harrell reached base on a walk with one out. It was the 35th consecutive game in which he reached base safely, a new Miners franchise record. Gordie Gronkowski followed with a double, putting two runners in scoring position. Matt Fields drove home the Miners first run of the night on a ground out to second base, cutting the lead to 5-1. After Gronkowski scored on a wild pitch, Ernie Banks followed with a single of his own. Ken Gregory then walked and scored with Banks on Cannon Lester's two-out, two-run single, cutting the Evansville lead to 5-4.

The Miners added two more in the following frame, to take their first lead of the night, 6-5, on a Ken Gregory two-run single. Eric Suttle and Gronkowski scored on the play. They reached on a walk and a hit by pitch, respectively.

The Otters would add one in the eighth and one in the ninth inning after their four-run seventh inning, enhancing their lead to 11-7.

Shawn Joy made the start for Southern Illinois and lasted six innings, allowing five runs off six hits. He left with a lead in line for his seventh win of the season, but took a no-decision. Outside of the second inning, he allowed one hit and faced one more than the minimum.

Evansville starter Scott Kelley lasted just two and two-thirds of an inning and surrendered four runs in a no-decision.

Nate Hall, Ernie Banks and Cannon Lester combined for seven hits, as they were the three Miners to have a multiple-hit game.

Sunday it will be all-star Ryan Zink (7-6, 5.17) on the mound for the Miners in their final regular season game of the 2011 season. He will be opposed by Otters lefty starter Matt Zielinski (2-2, 2.95) for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch from Rent One Park. The Miners will try to avoid the sweep with fireworks immediately following the game.

Check out the Southern Illinois Miners Statistics

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