The Gateway Grizzlies scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie at Wintrust Field, then got outstanding relief pitching to hold the advantage in what became a 6-3 victory over the Schaumburg Boomers, securing a split of the four-game series in a rare Monday night matchup.Â
It was the Grizzlies yet again coming up with two-out magic to take the lead first in the top of the second inning when Isaac Benard singled to left field with the bases loaded to make it 2-0 Gateway. Schaumburg then responded in kind in the bottom of the second when Brett Milazzo also hit a two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded off Grizzlies starter Carson LaRue (4-5), tying the game at 2-2.Â
Both teams threatened with men on base all night long, but it was Gateway who broke through against Jumpei Akanuma (4-2) in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs for Jay Prather, who lined an RBI single down the right field line for a 3-2 Grizzlies lead. Abdiel Diaz and Alex Hernandez then followed with sacrifice flies to make the score 5-2. Â
In the bottom half, Schaumburg again used a two-out rally to make it 5-3 on Wyatt Stapp’s RBI single, but would be halted there when the Grizzlies recorded the final out of the inning in a rundown on the bases. Anderson DeLeon then fired two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Alec Whaley pitched another. In the ninth, Hernandez would come up with another clutch, two-out, RBI hit to make it a 6-3 game, giving Sam Gardner insurance for the bottom half. The right-hander then struck out the side in order to earn his fourth save and get the Grizzlies the road win to split the series.Â
The Grizzlies final road trip of the season continues tomorrow, August 30, at 7:05 p.m. CT when they travel across Chicagoland to begin a three-game midweek series against the Windy City ThunderBolts at Ozinga 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.
