MINERS ERUPT LATE TO DOWN OTTERS

Southern Illinois scores six times in their last two turns at bat to take opener on the road

Marion, IL (August 2, 2019) – The Southern Illinois Miners broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth by scoring four times in the frame, then twice more in the ninth inning to run away with an 8-2 victory over the Evansville Otters at Bosse Field, their sixth win in their last eight games overall.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning, when Gianfranco Wawoe led off with a single against Otters starter Tyler Beardsley. Jamey Smart then cracked a two-run home run out to right field to put the Miners up 2-0, and Southern Illinois starter Cole Cook made the lead stand up, as the rookie did not allow a baserunner until the third inning, and permitted just two hits and no runs with four strikeouts in the first five innings.

But the Otters chased him with a double and walk with one out in the sixth, and thanks to RBI singles by Carlos Castro and Jack Meggs, the latter of which with two outs, Evansville knotted the score at 2-2. Gabe Gentner struck out two to strand the bases loaded, however, and keep the game tied, and after Nick Durazo (4-2) pitched a scoreless seventh inning, Beardsley departed the game for Evansville, and the Miners pounced on the Otters’ bullpen to go ahead for good in the eighth.

Wawoe drew a one-out walk off Kevin Simmons (0-1), and the Otters brought in left-hander Cam Opp to face Smart, who singled to left field before Kyle Davis lined a go-ahead double down the line to make it 3-2. Smart then scampered home on a sacrifice fly by Andy Cosgrove after another Otters pitching change for a 4-2 lead, and Taylor Sparks capped the inning by crushing a two-run home run to center field and putting Southern Illinois in front 6-2.

In the ninth, the Miners padded their lead as Omar Obregon walked and Yeltsin Gudino singled before Wawoe moved them to second and third base with a groundout. Smart then brought both in on another single for the final 8-2 score, with the first baseman leading the way for the Miners on the night by going 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Davis also went 2-for-5 on the game with an RBI, while Wawoe scored twice and Sparks drove in two in a team-wide effort.

The series-opening win also put the Miners two games back of the final wild card playoff spot in the Frontier League standings, and Southern Illinois will look for a third-straight win in the middle game of the series at Bosse Field on Saturday, August 3, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the Frontier League’s most-successful 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.southernillinoisminers.com.