Miners Sweep CornBelters With Record-Setting Performance

The Southern Illinois Miners erupted for a Frontier League-record 15 runs in the top of the fourth inning and finished just one run shy of tying a team record for most runs in a game, pounding out 22 total hits in a 21-4 victory over the Normal CornBelters on Sunday night at The Corn Crib to complete a road sweep with their third consecutive win.

Normal scored first in the game on an RBI fielder’s choice by Nolan Meadows in the first inning, but Tyler Stubblefield (1-1) limited the damage by inducing an inning-ending double-play off the bat of Diego Cedeno. Meanwhile, the Miners were held to no runs on two hits by Bob Wheatley (2-2) through the first three innings.

Miners 2B Craig Massey went 3-6 and drove in four runs in yesterdays game at Normal. (Southern Illinois Miners photo)

In the top of the fourth, however, the Miners would explode and set a Frontier League record for most runs in an inning. Two singles and a walk to begin the inning loaded the bases, and after a strikeout for the first out, London Lindley‘s RBI single tied the game at 1-1. Craig Massey then reached on an error, with the Miners taking a 2-1 lead as all runners were safe on the play. Nolan Earley then singled home two runs and went to third base thanks to another error, scoring Massey and making it 5-1. Ryan Lashley kept the rally going, smacking an RBI single to make it 6-1 and chase Wheatley, but the Miners weren’t done. Two batters later, Willi Martin doubled home a run, and Justin Chigbogu singled home another for an 8-1 Miners lead. Culver Plant‘s first professional hit, an RBI double, continued the inning and made it 9-1, while Lindley followed with a two-run single to extend the lead to 11-1.

Still the Miners were not finished in the frame. Massey scored Lindley with an RBI double for a 12-1 advantage, and after Earley walked, Lashley blasted a three-run home run to cap the single-frame onslaught at 15 runs, breaking the previous Miners record of 11 runs in a single inning and surpassing the previous Frontier League record of 12 runs in an inning.

Southern Illinois added on four more runs to their lead in the fifth inning thanks to a double by Lindley and home runs by Ben Moore and Massey, extending the lead out to 19-1 at its largest. After Normal got three runs in the bottom of the fifth, Chigbogu cranked a two-run home run to center field in the sixth inning to complete to scoring.

Every one of the Miners’ starters in the game had multiple runs scored and multiple hits in the game, with Massey and Lindley each going 3-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBIs. Six other Miners had two runs scored each, and Lashley finished with four RBIs while Chigbogu drove in three. The 21 runs scored by the Miners were one away from tying a franchise record, while their 22 hits were three away from tying the team’s all-time best.

The Miners continue their road trip on Tuesday night in Avon, Ohio against the Lake Erie Crushers at Sprenger Stadium, with the first pitch of game one of the three-game midweek series at 6:05 p.m. Corey Sessions will pitch for the Miners against Lake Erie right-hander Jordan Kurokawa.

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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS