(Courtesy of John Millikan, Sports Reporter, The Messenger)

The Madisonville Miners out-bombed the Dubois County Bombers on Wednesday night at Elmer Kelley Stadium.

In Game 1 of the best-of-three Ohio Valley League championship series, the Miner erupted for 13 hits and defeated the Bombers, 14-4. The series now heads to Huntingburg, Indiana, for Game 2 at 6 p.m. Thursday at League Stadium. Game 3, if necessary, will be at 6 p.m. Friday at League Stadium.

“We know it’s definitely difficult to beat them at their place, but we are excited about it,” Miners starting pitcher Kyle Vedrode said. “We are going in with a lot of confidence and will try to get it done in one game. It’s always intense playing at their place. They have intense fans and it’s always loud. But we like playing in situations like that and playing in high-intensity games.”

The way Madisonville played Wednesday night, there might not be much of a need for a third game. The Miners fell behind 2-0 in the first inning after Dubois County’s Drake McNamara hit a two-run home run to center field, but Madisonville answered with 14 straight runs for one of its most lopsided victories of the season.

“We have been really hot the past couple of games and hope we can carry it into (Thursday),” Miners catcher Andrew Tanous said.

The Miners took the lead for good in the second inning when they hit through the order and plated six runs on five hits — an outburst that was highlighted by RBI singles from Tanous, JD Minor, Cory Finkler and Wesley Birchmeier.

Madisonville continued to pour it on during the middle innings, scoring two in the fourth, one in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Dubois County tacked on another run in the seventh inning on a solo home run from McNamara, but that was all the damage the Bombers could muster against Vedrode, who allowed five hits and struck out seven in seven innings of work.

Bombers starter Willie Poe lasted just one inning and allowed six runs and four walks, and Dubois County reliever Lucas Barnett didn’t fare much better, giving up five hits and four runs in four innings.

The Miners were hot up and down the lineup, starting with leadoff hitter Connor Moss, who scored three times and drove in a run. Tanous had three hits and three RBIs; Finkler added two hits and three RBIs; and Birchmeier drove in two runs.

The Bombers, who committed five errors in the loss, added a final run in the top of the ninth inning to avoid losing by more than 10 runs for the first time this season.