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Miners commit four errors, lose Game 2 to Windy City

By D.W. Norris, For The Southern

Sunday, September 7, 2008 9:20 AM CDT

CRESTWOOD - There are countless ways to lose a playoff baseball game.

Having more errors than hits is probably one of the surest ways. Southern Illinois committed four errors while gathering only three hits in a 7-2 loss to Windy City at Standard Bank Stadium.

Simply put, Southern Illinois did itself no favors in falling behind, 2-0, to the defending Frontier League champion ThunderBolts in the best-of-five division series.

Manny Paula, Tim Dorn, Andre Miller and Brendan Akashian all had errors.

"We can pin the game down to a combination of some bad defense and certainly anemic hitting today," said manager Mike Pinto.

Five of Windy City's runs were unearned and neither one of the Miners' tallies went against Windy City starter Isaac Hess' ERA.

"The story for the last two days comes down to we haven't gotten any hits," Pinto said. "The two best hits of the night were the last two in the ninth.

By that time the Miners were down by five runs.

"You can't wait until the ninth inning to hit," Pinto said. "You have to do something earlier. We had opportunities."

Hess (1-0) walked eight batters in 5 2/3 one-hit innings while striking out five. The Miners stranded seven base runners and might have left more on if not for a pair of costly base-running mistakes by Andre Miller.

Miller was caught stealing in the first and picked off in the third. His throwing error in the seventh led to an unearned run and helped turn a 5-2 game into a 7-2 mess.

Miners' starter Brett Scarpetta (0-1) was a hard-luck loser. Scarpetta lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs - one earned - on seven hits with four walks. He struck out three.

"I felt good, but it's a team game," Scarpetta said. "We needed a team win and we didn't get it."

League MVP Phil Hawke had three hits and drove in two runs. Mike Coles scored twice and reached base three times. Gilberto Mejia scored a run and had one hit, a fifth-inning triple on a Miller dive in centerfield. That triple with two outs jumpstarted a three-run inning as Windy City jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

The ThunderBolts added unearned runs in the fifth and seventh innings on errors from Paula, who dropped a two-out fly ball, and Miller's errant toss.

"We got the extra base and some crucial at-bats," said Windy City manager Mike Kashirsky of his team's ability to cash in on mistakes. "That helped us out a lot."

"I think what it's been," Pinto said, "is when they make a mistake, we don't capitalize. When we make a mistake, they do."

Southern Illinois and Windy City renew the series in a 7:05 p.m. game Monday at Rent One Park.

dw_norris@yahoo.com