MARION - Dream deferred.

The Miners' season ended Tuesday at Rent One Park with a double play with the game-tying run at the plate in a 10-6 loss to Windy City.

Southern Illinois looked to be in control of Game 4 of the Frontier League division playoffs after jumping out to a three-run lead in the second inning. By the end of the third inning, their lead - and a chance at staying alive for one more game - was effectively finished.

Phil Hawke's three-run homer in the third inning gave Windy City a 5-4 lead it would not surrender. It also changed the complexion of the game.

"You could almost hear a gasp out of the dugout when Hawke hit that and it took a little energy from us," said Miners' manager Mike Pinto.

Hawke sent starting pitcher Ryan Bird's first-pitch curveball over the fence in right-center for his fifth, sixth and seventh RBIs of the postseason.

"We got down (4-1) early and I knew they were going to come out strong like that," Hawke said. "I looked curveball, he left it over the plate and I just didn't miss it."

Hawke finished with three hits and three RBIs.

Bird said the ThunderBolts made adjustments to his most effective pitch, the curve. The result was a 3 1/3-inning start that saw Bird toss 62 pitches three days after throwing 113 in the Miners' series-opening loss at Windy City. Bird said pitching on three days' rest was not a factor in the start.

The ThunderBolts scored six earned runs off Bird, the league's pitcher of the year. Two of Bird's seven hits allowed were home runs. Both of those home runs came in the four-run third.

"They were pretty pumped up after that," Bird said of the third. "I threw (Hawke) another curveball, first pitch, and you don't expect them to take a hack at it. He just waited back for it and crushed it. I tip my cap to the MVP of the league."

Southern Illinois wasted no time in getting to Windy City starter Ross Stout, who entered the game with a 2.33 ERA in four starts versus the Miners.

The Miners plated two runs in the first inning on singles from Joey Metropoulos and Brandon Jones. Southern Illinois took a 3-1 lead in the second on Kevin House's run-scoring double and added one more run on shortstop Wes Long's seventh error of the postseason.

Metropoulos had two hits and drove in three runs. Jones finished with two hits and an RBI.

Stout recovered from the early deficit, retiring nine straight Miners from the third through fifth innings. Stout threw 127 pitches in a game-one no-decision on Sept. 5.

Stout pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs.

Danny Sawyer's first hit of the series, a leadoff home run in the third, trimmed one run off the Miners' three-run lead. Four batters later, Hawke turned on a pitch to start a streak of three unanswered runs.

The Miners, trailing 9-4, loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning. Joey Metropoulos' sacrifice fly cut the deficit to four runs, but Tony Roth was thrown out trying to advance to second base to end the threat with Tim Dorn waiting on deck.

Dorn was hitless in three at-bats.

Southern Illinois again loaded the bases in the ninth, but Dorn's double play ended the game, series and season.

"I've got to keep it practical," Pinto said. "It was a good season. Was it great? No, it wasn't. Great would have been getting to the next round of the playoffs. We fell short of that."

ETC: Bird will head to Jupiter, Fla., for an evaluation with the St. Louis Cardinals. Check Miner Details, the Southern Illinoisan's Miners' blog for more on Bird.

dw_norris@yahoo.com