Windy City blows away Miners
September 4, 2009 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
MARION, Ill. - With a playoff berth available for the taking Thursday night, Southern Illinois turned in one of its worst performances of the season, losing 17-4 to Windy City at Rent One Park. With the loss, the Miners fell back into a virtual tie with River City atop the Frontier League West Division.
For his second outing in a row, Miners starter Ryan Bird was the victim of the big inning and failed double plays. Windy City took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, but two more runs crossed the plate in the inning after a ground ball went through the legs of second baseman Will Block. The potential double play would have ended the inning.
The five-run fifth inning was enough offense to sustain the Bolts pitching staff the entire night. Windy City starter Matt Jernstad tossed 6.0 innings, allowing two runs, one of them earned. With the win, he improved his record to 7-4 and lowered his ERA to 2.32, second lowest in the Frontier League.
After Bird retired the side in order in the second inning, the Bolts knocked him out of the game with two outs and a man on second base in the third inning. It was Bird's shortest outing of the season. After reliever Alex Rollin allowed a home run two batters later, Bird had surrendered nine runs, seven of them earned. His ERA, now at 3.48, grew to above 3.00 for the first time this season. With the loss, Bird's record dropped to 9-7.
Rollin's only other mistake of the night was a two-run home run to Robert Perry after walking Guillermo Martinez to start the sixth inning. That increased the Windy City lead to 13-1. Rollin would eat up 3.1 innings in a game that had long been decided, and lefty Chris Stewart pitched the final three innings in relief for Southern Illinois. Stewart allowed four runs, all of them in the ninth inning.
Southern Illinois finally broke onto the scoreboard by scoring a single run in each inning from the fifth through the eighth, but by that time both managers had put all available bench players into the game.
The Miners will have to regroup quickly, knowing the first place tie will be broken one way or another when River City arrives in town on Friday night to begin the final three-game series of the season. Joe Augustine (7-4, 3.25) will go for the Miners against Daniel Howard (5-5, 5.06) for the Rascals. It will be the season's final Fantastic Friday Fireworks show, sponsored by WPSD Local 6 and River Radio. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
The Miners magic number to clinch a playoff berth remains at two. But if they don't get any help when Windy City travels to Rockford, then only a sweep of River City will guarantee a division title for the Miners.
Frontier League Stories from September 4, 2009
- Unlucky Otters Lose 13th in a Row - Evansville Otters
- Shaffer and Company Wins Fourth Straight - Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti
- Rascals clinch second playoff birth in franchise history - River City Rascals
- Paul Fagan receives Brian Tollberg Most Valuable Pitcher Award - Lake Erie Crushers
- Peters lead Grizzlies to win over Otters - Gateway Grizzlies
- Bolts fall in first game - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Calderwood Selected as Broadcaster of the Year - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Beach Bums dropped by Kalamazoo - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Homers carry Freedom to victory - Florence Y'alls
- Florence Freedom Get by Wild Things 7-4 - Washington Wild Things
- Miners Players, Front Office Earn League Honors - Southern Illinois Miners
- Parker, Three Rascals Earn Postseason Honors - River City Rascals
- ThunderBolts win Frontier League Awards - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Windy City blows away Miners - Southern Illinois Miners
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