The Southern Illinois Miners engaged in a pitcher’s duel against the Frontier Greys in a big rubber match between the two teams on Thursday night at Rent One Park, and it was the home team emerging victorious thanks to two solo homers in the sixth and seventh as well as eight innings of one-run ball by reigning Pitcher of the Year Matt Bywater to win the game and the series 2-1.
Bywater (8-3) and Greys starter Bobby Shore (4-5) tossed up five straight zeroes each on the scoreboard to begin the contest. Bywater also pitched a scoreless sixth inning, facing the minimum to that point, before Shore cracked first in the bottom of the sixth. After retiring the first two hitters in the frame for the 12th and 13th straight batters he retired spanning four innings, Niko Vasquez blasted a solo homer to left-center field to give the Miners a 1-0 lead. It was Vasquez’s team-leading 11th homer of the season and represented the first time this year in six tries that the Miners scored first in a game against the Greys.
The visitors got that run back in the top of the seventh, however, the only run they would score off of Bywater in the game. After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, two wild pitches scored the tying run. With runners at second and third and two outs later in the inning, however, Bywater fanned Michael Antonio to keep the game tied at 1-1, and the Miners took the lead back in the bottom of the frame.
On a 2-2 pitch, Steve Marino launched his third homer of the season over the left field fence on the final pitch Shore threw, giving the Miners the lead back for good. Bywater finished off his outing with a 1-2-3 eighth and Eric Green struck out one in a perfect ninth for his fourth save, handing the Miners the series win. The Miners’ ace pitched eight innings, allowing just one run on two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts to get his eighth win of the season.
The Miners now entertain the Evansville Otters for a big weekend series beginning on Friday night at 7:05 p.m., with the Miners trailing the Otters by two games in the standings for first place. Adam Lopez will take the ball for Southern Illinois in the opener against Evansville’s Trevor Walch.
Jason Guerette is the Grizzlies' Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations and the "Voice of the Grizzlies." 2023 will be his second season with the organization, handling lead broadcasting duties on the Grizzlies Media Network as well as being in charge of all team press releases and game-day media materials.
2023 will also be Jason's ninth season in the Frontier League after spending 2014-21 in the same role with the Southern Illinois Miners. Overall, he has broadcasted close to 800 games in the league, including playoffs. During the baseball offseason, he serves as a play-by-play broadcaster for Manhattan College and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, with games being seen on ESPN+ among other platforms.
In addition to broadcasting, Jason works as a public address announcer for Seton Hall University women's basketball as well as Columbia University men's and women's basketball. He also spent nine years working "behind the scenes" as a freelance board operator and highlight editor at Westwood One for their coverage of the NFL, NCAA football, and NCAA basketball.
Jason graduated from Seton Hall in 2012 with B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Broadcasting & Visual Media.
