The Florence Freedom took a lead early, but seven unanswered runs Wednesday gave the Southern Illinois Miners game two of the series 7-1.
The Miners (19-10) moved into first place in the division with their second consecutive victory over the Freedom (7-21).
Florence found the scoreboard first with a pair of hits in the second inning. Collins Cuthrell snuck a one-out double down the first-base line and Garrett Vail knocked him in with a single.
Southern Illinois bounced right back with a Steve Marino home run bottom of the second. The Miners took the lead in the third, but Florence starter Zach Isler allowed just one run after facing a bases-loaded, no-out jam.
However, two runs was all the Southern Illinois pitching staff would need. Jarett Miller took the win, allowing eight hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. The Miners bullpen sat down the final seven in a row and allowed just one base runner on a walk.
The Miners broke the game open in the sixth, scoring four runs. Three consecutive men reached to load the bases with one out. On the ensuing play, Daniel Fraga ranged to his left to field a ground ball and quickly fired to second in an attempt to turn two, but the throw was wide and got away from Travis Weaver. Two runs came in on the play and two more would score later in the inning to put the Miners ahead 6-1.
Zach Isler finished his 5 2/3-inning outing with two strikeouts, while allowing six hits and six runs (three earned). Pete Levitt quickly forced the final out of the sixth.
After TJ Bozeman tossed a scoreless seventh, Ethan Gibbons allowed a run in the eighth as the Miners cruised to a 7-1 victory.
Fraga and Cuthrell both had two hits, including a double. Since taking a day off last Wednesday, Fraga has hit safely in every game (six-game hitting streak) with three doubles and four multi-hit games. Vail finished with the Freedom’s only RBI.
Aaron Gates led the Miners with three hits and two RBIs, while Nolan Earley, Marino, and Toby DeMello all notched a pair of base hits.
The Freedom look to salvage one in the three-game set with Southern Illinois Thursday. Stetson Nelson (0-2, 5.19 ERA) will toe the rubber for Florence against Dan Ludwig (2-0, 3.07 ERA) with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT.
From Freedom Communications