The Grizzlies opened 2022 about as well as a team could with a 13-0 shutout win over the Empire State Greys on Friday at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.Â
The Grizzlies got to work right away in the bottom of the first inning when Issac Benard and Peter Zimmermann hit back-to-back home runs to give Gateway a 3-0 lead. They got two more runs in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a Jay Prather RBI double and a Jose Rosario RBI groundout to make the score 5-0.Â
The offense took a break in the fourth inning before resuming in the bottom of the fifth. With two runners on and two outs, Rosario connected on an opposite-field, three-run home run to right to make it 8-0 Gateway.Â
Gateway continued the push for double-digit runs in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Abdiel Diaz and a two-run single by Zimmermann to make it 11-0. Gateway then finished their run production with a two-run-home run by Zimmermann in the bottom of the eighth for the 13-0 final score.Â
Meanwhile, Grizzlies pitching tossed a shutout on the mound. Starter Brendan Feldmann (1-0) allowed one hit over six innings, striking out five Greys hitters for the win. Carson Cupo and Taylor Sugg then logged three shutout innings in relief behind Feldmann.Â
Luis Pacheco (0-1) suffered the loss for the Greys, pitching four innings and allowing five earned runs.Â
In his professional debut, Zimmermann led the Grizzlies’ offense, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, two walks, four runs scored and five RBIs. Rosario also went 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. In addition, Trevor Achenbach connected for three doubles and three runs scored as the Grizzlies romped to the win on Opening Night.Â
Gateway will look for a series win over Empire State on Saturday night, May 14, at 7:05 p.m., with Steven Ridings taking the mound for the Grizzlies at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.Â
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.
