Southern Illinois Rallies Late, Walks Off Again Over Lake Erie

by Jason Guerette August 14, 2015

written by Jason Guerette August 14, 2015

The Southern Illinois Miners won for the second time in three nights against the Lake Erie Crushers in walk-off fashion, with Adrian English knocking a pinch-hit single to left in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 win on Thursday night at Rent One Park in a topsy-turvy game that saw several comebacks by both teams to clinch the Miners’ tenth straight overall series win, fifth straight at home, a ninth straight winning season with their 49th overall win of the 2015 campaign and sole possession of first place to boot.

The Miners plated two runs in the first two innings off of Crushers starter Kolby Moore, the latter of which on an RBI double by Frank Martinez for a 2-0 Miners lead. After being held down for the first three innings by Miguel Ramirez, the Crushers got single runs in the fourth and sixth on RBI hits by Juan Sanchez and Boo Vazquez to knot the score at 2-2. Ramirez, who tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts, left the game after allowing two baserunners in the seventh inning, and with two outs and two strikes on the hitter, pinch-hitter Chandler Brock gave Lake Erie the lead with a two-run single against Joe Iorio at 4-2.

But the Miners rallied back. After Lake Erie closer Trevor Longfellow shut the Southern Illinois offense down for three and two-thirds innings, the Miners mounted a comeback by batting around against three different pitchers in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Martinez walked and was followed by a Niko Vasquez single. After a pitching change and a wild pitch, Michael Earley pulled the Miners within a run at 4-3. Jerrud Sabourin struck the big blow in the frame after another wild pitch, with a two-run single to both extend his hitting streak to eight games and give the Miners a 5-4 lead. An RBI single by Craig Massey two batters later made the score 6-4 Miners.

That lead held until the top of the ninth, as Lake Erie again rallied back. Four hits in the inning off of Eric Green (5-2) tied the score again, and the game went to the bottom of the ninth. Against Mike Devine (3-4), Massey reached on a one-out single and stole second base. English was called upon to pinch-hit, and on an 0-2 count, he lined a single to left-center, scoring Massey and setting off the celebration in Marion.

Earley and Massey had three hits apiece in the offense-filled ballgame, with five different players driving home a run for the Miners. The teams combined for 27 hits, 15 by the Crushers and 12 by the Miners, as Southern Illinois claimed sole possession of first place in the overall standings once again. They will continue their homestand on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Frontier Greys, with Rick Teasley pitching in the series opener.

Jason Guerette

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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.

Jason Guerette

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.

Southern Illinois Rallies Late, Walks Off Again Over Lake Erie

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