The Gateway Grizzlies saw their three-game win streak snapped on Friday night at Mercy Health Stadium in Ohio, as a late comeback attempt came up one batter short in a 5-4 loss to the Lake Erie Crushers.
Things could not have started much better for the Grizzlies, as they began the game with three straight hits off former Grizzlie Matt Mulhearn (1-2), with an RBI single by Zach Racusin making the score 1-0. Jay Prather doubled the lead two batters later on an RBI groundout to 2-0 and the Grizzlies took control early.
But starting in the second, things started to unravel- Carson LaRue (1-2) allowed a game-tying, two-run homer to Kemuel Thomas-Rivera in the bottom of the second, and then in the third, with two outs and two runners on base, Jake Gitter hit a ground ball to Abdiel Diaz at shortstop that should have ended the inning, but a low throw to first base turned into an error that brought home the go-ahead run and made it 3-2 Lake Erie.
In the fifth, three singles turned into another run and chased LaRue from the game with a 4-2 deficit, and on the next pitch with one out, another ground ball was hit to shortstop. The Grizzlies got the force out at second base, but another low throw to first by Trevor Achenbach got away for a second error, allowing the Crushers to score again to make it 5-2.
Gateway would not get a hit from the fourth inning until the eighth, and in that frame, the Grizzlies loaded the bases on walks. With two outs, Cam Touchette came up clutch with a two-run double, making it a 5-4 ballgame, but the Grizzlies could not get closer in suffering the loss.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back in the middle game of the series on Saturday, July 9, at 5:05 p.m. CT, with J.P. Williams starting against the Crushers’ Joseph Sgambelluri on the mound.
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.
