Isaac Wenrich and Jordan Brower hit back-to-back home runs, but the Southern Illinois Miners scored six runs with two outs to take game one of the series 6-4 over the Florence Freedom Tuesday.
The Freedom (7-20) got on the board in the second. Collins Cuthrell drew a one-out walk before Wenrich hit an opposite-field shot to put the Freedom up 2-0. Brower, playing against his former team, followed with a towering home run that almost cleared the scoreboard in right.
Florence starter Patrick McGrath worked around a couple of tough situations in the third and fourth innings. Both times, the Miners put two men aboard, but McGrath was able to escape the jams, including forcing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play with two men on in the fourth.
After two strikeouts in the fifth, the Miners (18-10) strung together four consecutive singles, tying the score at three.
After a five-pitch 1-2-3 sixth inning, Southern Illinois scored three runs in the seventh to take the lead. After a single, McGrath induced a lineout double play to Daniel Fraga at second base. Another single forced McGrath from the game. Pete Levitt allowed a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases, so the Freedom called upon Matt Pobereyko.
The right-hander hit a batter to give the Miners the lead before Steve Marino ripped a single, scoring two and putting the home team ahead 6-3.
The Freedom rallied in their final two frames, but the Miners survived to take the win. Fraga led off the eighth with a double, moved to third on a single by Taylor Oldham, and scored when Austin Newell grounded into a double play. In a 6-4 ballgame, A Richard Seigel single and a pair of walks loaded the bases, but Brower struck out to end the threat.
In the ninth, Fraga and Oldham both reached with two outs, but Chris DeBoo earned a one-out save by forcing Newell to pop out.
McGrath took the loss, allowing four runs, and five hits, while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. Along with Levitt and Pobereyko, new addition Davis Adkins tossed a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts. Seigel and Oldham both added two hits to go along with Wenrich and Brower’s long balls.
Carson Goldsmith earned the win in relief of starter Josh Kimborowicz (6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K). The Miners used five relievers who combined to allow only one run.
Game two between the Freedom and Miners is set for Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. CT. The Freedom will start Zach Isler (2-2, 5.21 ERA) against Jarett Miller (1-2, 1.94 ERA).
From Freedom Communications