Late Push Comes Up Short, Miners Lose To Freedom

From the Southern Illinois Miners

The Southern Illinois Miners made a late push against the Florence Freedom on Friday night at Rent One Park, scoring three runs in their last two turns at bat to turn a 4-0 deficit into a one-run game, and got the tying and winning runs on base, but succumbed to the visitors by a final score of 4-3, dropping their fifth-straight game.

A solo home run by Keivan Berges in the top of the second inning against Chris Washington made the score 1-0, but that was one of only two baserunners that Washington (3-4) allowed in his first six innings of work, retiring 11 batters in a row at one point. The Miners had their opportunities to score in the meantime as well, but despite seven hits in the first five innings, they could not break through against Tony Vocca (8-5), stranding seven on base against him as the right-hander worked through seven shutout frames.

In the top of the seventh, with a runner at second base and two outs, Jordan Brower’s single scored Berges and made it 2-0, chasing Washington from the game. After a walk by Paul Young, Austin Wobrock singled up the middle to score two more runs with the eventual game-winning hit to make it 4-0.

In the eighth, the Miners responded when Nolan Earley homered off the left field foul pole, his ninth of the season, to get Southern Illinois on the board and make it 4-1. In the ninth inning, against former Miner Pete Perez, Anthony Critelli and Ryan Sluder worked walks, and Romeo Cortina singled to load the bases. With two outs, Ryan Lashley singled into center field to score two runs and make it 4-3, moving the tying run to scoring position and the potential winning run to first base. But Perez got Earley to fly out to left-center field to end the game.
The Miners out-hit Florence 11 to eight, with Cortina, Lashley, Earley and Craig Massoni all putting up multi-hit games in the defeat. Washington pitched a quality start as well, lasting six and two-thirds innings and scattering five hits and three earned runs with no walks and three strikeouts, but suffered the loss on the mound.

Southern Illinois will endeavor to get back on the winning track on Saturday night in the second game of the series at 6:05 p.m., with Matt Parish pitching against former Miner Steve Hagen.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2016 Frontier League West Division Champions, the 2014 and 2015 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. 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 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at (618) 998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.