(Press Release)
The Southern Illinois Miners scored all of their three runs in the first inning on four hits plus an error on a fielder’s choice, and southpaw Rick Teasley’s six and one-third innings of one-run ball made it count in a 3-1 Miners win over the Lake Erie Crushers on Friday night in Marion.
The Miners (2-5) led off the game with Jon Eisen singling. After a popout to the third baseman for the first out, Phil Butler smacked a double to left field, putting runners at second and third. The Miners would come through against Lake Erie starter Todd Kibby (0-1) on the next two pitches, with Chris Burke singling to left-center for a 1-0 Southern Illinois lead and Sundrendy Windster singling to center to give the home team a 2-0 advantage.
Matt Howard then bounced a grounder to first base, where the Crushers’ first baseman Vincent Mejia tried to throw to second to start a potential double-play. But the throw got away from the fielder covering the bag, allowing Burke to score from second for the third run.
That was all Teasley needed, as he pitched 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, tying Miguel Ramirez’s start at Joliet on May 17th for the longest outing by a Miners starter this season. Teasley struck out four Crushers and did not walk a single batter while giving up seven hits.
Matt Miller and Derrick Miramontes pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, with Miramontes earning his second save after a 1-2-3 ninth.
Eisen went 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot for Southern Illinois, while Butler also went 2-for-4 in his second start of the season. Quiles led Lake Erie (4-3) with three hits on the night.
The teams will play game two of their three-game weekend series on Saturday night, with another matchup of lefties between Michael Carden for the Miners and Jose Rosario for the Crushers. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m.
