The Gateway Grizzlies rallied back from a 10-3 deficit late on Sunday against the Schaumburg Boomers, but came up just short in a 10-8 loss at Wintrust Field, with the defeat mathematically eliminating the Grizzlies from playoff contention in 2022.Â
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It was the Grizzlies scoring first for the third game in a row against the Boomers, as they plated two runs in the second inning with two outs on an RBI single by Abdiel Diaz and a throwing error on Diaz’s subsequent stolen base by Schaumburg catcher Nick Oddo. Back-to-back leadoff doubles by Andrew Penner and Isaac Benard then made it a 3-0 Grizzlies advantage.Â
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But the Boomers responded by scoring the next ten runs in the game- they scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning, taking the lead on Clint Hardy’s grand slam off Steven Ridings (4-2), and then got four more runs in the fourth against Clint Freeman, including a two-run home run off the bat of Mike Hart, to take a 9-3 lead. A two-out single in the sixth inning by Wyatt Stapp made the score 10-3.Â
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Gateway would then score five straight runs to come back- Kevin Krause was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh, and was followed by Zach Racusin, who dumped a two-run single into shallow center field to make it 10-6. In the ninth, Benard was hit by a pitch, and on the next offering from Darryl Thompson, Krause slammed a two-run home run to left-center field to get Gateway within 10-8. But that is where the comeback ended, as Thompson retired the next two Grizzlies to end the game.Â
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Gateway and Schaumburg will conclude their four-game series with a special Monday night contest on August 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the Grizzlies sending Carson LaRue to the mound against the Boomers’ Jumpei Akanuma at Wintrust Field.
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.
