Miners split first two games of series with Joliet Southern Illinois hurt by walks, hit batters in dropping middle game to Joliet

MARION - The Southern Illinois Miners out-hit the Joliet Slammers seven to five on Wednesday night at Rent One Park, but lost the game 5-2, evening the mid-week series at one game apiece as they remained three games back of a playoff spot in the Frontier League standings.

Marty Anderson (5-3) struggled with his command early, as he walked the first two batters of the game before RBI singles by Dash Winningham and Harrison Bragg made it 2-0 Slammers immediately in the first inning. Anderson (5-3) was able to get two big strikeouts to strand the bases loaded that inning, however, and in the bottom of the first inning, the Miners got within 2-1 thanks to a leadoff double by Yeltsin Gudino and an RBI single by Anthony Brocato.

In the second inning, Joliet used a leadoff hit batter as well as a throwing error on a stolen base to help score an additional run on a sacrifice fly by Winningham and make the score 3-1, but again in the bottom of the inning, the Miners got that run back, as Jarrod Watkins scored Arturo Nieto from second base on a two-out infield single up the middle.

That made the score 3-2, but the Miners would not score again, as Joliet starter Matt Quintana (5-3) pitched six innings in the contest to get the win.

The closest the Miners came to tying the score was in the sixth, when Gianfranco Wawoe doubled with one out, but the next two batters made outs, and Slammers would get a leadoff walk in the next inning followed by a two-run home run by Winningham to push the lead out to 5-2.

Winningham drove in four runs in the contest and homered for the second night in a row to lead the Slammers. Both Wawoe and Nieto had two-hit games at the plate for the Miners, but it was not enough as they dropped the middle game of the series.

Southern Illinois was scheduled to complete the three-game home series with Joliet Thursday night and will then hit the road this weekend for a three-game series at Evansville followed by a four-game stint at Gateway before returning home next Friday, Aug. 9 against Schaumburg.

Tuesday Game: Smart helps Miners post win over Slammers

The Southern Illinois Miners won for the fourth time in their last five games, coming back from an early deficit against the Joliet Slammers at Rent One Park and recording an 8-4 victory in the opener of the mid-week series.

It was the Slammers who struck first, and right away, as Riley Krane hit a solo home run to right field off Chase Cunningham while leading off in the first inning to make it 1-0. In the second inning, a two-out RBI single by Chaz Meadows doubled the lead to 2-0, but Cunningham (7-4) settled in from there, retiring the next ten batters he faced.

Meanwhile, the Miners came all the way back to tie the score with two outs in the bottom of the second. Andy Cosgrove was hit by a Tyler Jandron pitch, and Taylor Sparks singled up the middle. Joe Duncan then hit a ground ball to Meadows at shortstop, which was thrown high to first base and into the crowd, scoring Cosgrove and making it 2-1. Ryan Stacy's infield hit to Meadows then knotted the score at 2-2.

It would not stay tied for long- Cosgrove came up with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, and put the Miners ahead 3-2 with a double to right-center field. In the next frame, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch drawn by Sparks extended the lead to 4-2, also with two outs.

Joliet would use a pair of solo home runs to tie the score in the top of the sixth, including Krane's second of the game, but once again, with two outs in the bottom half and runners at first and second base, it was the Miners coming through in the clutch, this time going ahead on Jamey Smart's two-run double off the right field wall, making the score 6-4 and putting the home team ahead to stay. They would also add on two more runs in the eighth thanks to a wild pitch and the second error of the game by Meadows, also with two outs, for the final margin.

Smart led the charge offensively for Southern Illinois by going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and RBIs, giving him a Frontier League-best 22 doubles on the season and extending his hit streak out to 12 in a row. Stacy also went 2-for-4 for his first career multi-hit game, while Yeltsin Gudino went 1-for-4 in his Miners debut and tied a season and career high with three runs scored. On the mound, Cunningham and three relievers limited the Slammers to just five hits as well in the win.