Longest Game from Start to Finish & 1st Game to Extras

For the 2nd straight day, the Miners get two W's. They made up the 9th inning of the game started 2 days earlier because it was postponed due to rain. Jeremy Atkins came in and made quick work of the Fire lineup only allowing 1 base runner to solidify the 5-4 victory in that one.

Little did the Miners know that another close one was coming. The Miners broke open the scorebook as they so often do with a DJ Gentile 2 run homer in the 4th inning. The day before a questionable call by the ump took back one of his homers, but there was no question about this one. You could tell as soon as the ball hit the bat that it was gone.

But the Miners continued to struggle putting up runs in the late innings and allowing the Fire to tie up the ballgame with 2 runs in the 6th. The Fire got a 1 out double and then a wild pitch to get a runner on third. The next batter grounded one to JJ at second and he threw home to try to prevent the run and his throw was off the mark. Another well placed ground out scored a runner from third later that inning to bring it to the 2-2 mark.

The Miners had to go into extra innings as the tie held up through 9. The Miners were quiet in the top half of the 10th with only David Alleman reaching base on a hit by pitch. The Fire posed a little more of a threat in the 10th with the lead off hitter reaching on an error from Shane Brown and getting over to 2nd with a one out walk to the batter.

So the scene was set with runners on 1st & 2nd and only 1 out for the Fire's 2-hole hitter Brian Kolb. Kolb struck a hard ball into deep center field, but Nick Cox made an amazing diving catch and got it to 2nd base for the double play because the runner did not tag. This was a web gem if I ever saw one with how far Cox had to go just to get to the ball and a great full extension dive to get the out. If that ball would have dropped the runner from 2nd would have easily scored and ended the ball game. Instead, the Miners got out of the jam.

You got the feeling that after that catch the Miners were going to win it. And they made quick work of Fire reliever Bradley Kidd in the top of the 11th. Cisneros started the inning off with a lead off walk and had Ryan Cole pinch run for him. Chad Marshall then laid down a great bunt that hit the dirt in front of the plate and just stopped. The pitcher was not able to get there in time to make the throw as Marshall reached on the bunt single. Bobby Jacobs then stepped up and laid down another good bunt. Kidd got their in time but made a bad throw to 3rd that ended up in the outfield and allowed Cole to score from 3rd and advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd. The Miners still had no outs and followed up the series of nice bunts with 2 well placed sac flies by Newalu and Cox to the deep parts of the outfield to score 2 more runs.

The 3 runs off of only 1 hit won it for the Miners as Atkins stepped in to get his 2nd save of the day in the bottom of the 11th. The first extra inning ball game was as close as it gets to going down as an L but a grat play in the field and heads up bunting and base running gave the Miners the 4 game sweep of the Fire.

Next game for the Miners is against a Goldpanners squad that has been playing much better recently and is climbing up the ABL standings.