LORAIN — The Ironmen entered the game fresh off their first win of the season on Sunday.

On Tuesday night, the Ironmen put together their first two-game winning streak of the season, as they scored a franchise-high 17 runs on 18 hits in their 17-2 rout over the West Virginia Miners in Prospect League play at The Pipe Yard.

The Ironmen exploded with two big innings, a nine-run sixth inning and a five-run fifth. After scoring eight runs through four games, the Ironmen scored 14 runs over those two innings.

Amherst graduate Connor Weir, who went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, hit a two-run triple, while James DiBiasio hit a two-run double in the big inning that lasted nearly an hour. Sam Alvis then hit an RBI single, before Nolan Neuschaefer drew a walk and Michael Burke was hit by a pitch. Zak Blair was then hit by pitch with the bases loaded before Michael Grieco hit his second double of the game, good for two more runs. Weir added another RBI on a single that scored Blair to make it 17-0.

“The whole team just kind of got contagious today,” Weir said. “One guy started hitting and it just went through the whole order. We scored about triple the runs than we’ve had the whole season. We knew we had it in us. It was just a matter of time before it came out … After I got destroyed in my first at-bat (a strikeout), I just tried to hit fastballs the rest of the night. I was seeing the ball well tonight.”

Vermilion graduate Adam Beach was in a rhythm on the mound. He pitched six shutout innings, allowing just one hit, while striking out five batters.

“Anytime your team puts up 17 runs, you can pitch all day after that,” Beach said. “I finally started getting ahead after the first couple innings and my defense made nice plays … It’s nice being home. It makes it a lot easier for sure.”

Beach allowed a fourth-inning single to John Spirk, but then settled down, pitching to one batter over the minimun. Shane Sullivan came in to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh before Burke came on to pitch the eighth and despite striking out the side, allowed two runs. Alvis closed it out in the ninth, retiring 3 of 4 batters he faced.

The Ironmen added five runs - all with two outs - in the fifth. Kubuski roped an RBI triple that scored Burke, who led the inning off with a single. He then scored on a passed ball. After Weir singled, he scored on an RBI double by Tomaszewski - his second double of the game. DiBiasio then beat out an infield single that scored Tomaszewski, who had advanced to third on a throwing error by the leftfielder. Alvis joined in the hit parade, as he kept it going with an RBI double that scored DiBiasio, who stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the catcher.

The Miners pitching staff entered the game with a team ERA of 2.14, only allowing 12 runs through the first four games, but that didn’t faze the Ironmen as they scored 17 runs - more than the Miners gave up all season. That more than doubled their team ERA.

Notes

• After ending last season with the worst pitching staff in the Prospect League with a 5.36 ERA, the Ironmen entered Tuesday night’s game leading the Prospect League with a team ERA of 1.53.

• Amherst graduate Ryan Rua, who was going to play with the Ironmen this season, was drafted by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.