The Gateway Grizzlies scored six times in the top of the third inning with two outs at Mercy Health Stadium on Sunday afternoon, riding the big inning to a 10-2 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers to clinch the weekend series in the rubber game. The win also lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff spot in 2023 down to two, and restored a 2.0 games lead atop the West Division standings with Schaumburg’s loss at Windy City.Â
With Cole Barr on first base and two outs in the top of the third, former Grizzlie Matt Mulhearn (5-6) committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to first base, and with Barr at second, Eric Rivera came up clutch with an RBI single to drive in the game’s first run. But Gateway was far from done- after Cole Brannen walked and Mark Vierling loaded the bases on an infield hit, Andrew Penner laced a two-run single into the outfield to make it 3-0.Â
Kyle Gaedele then followed with a double off the center field wall to make it 5-0, and D.J. Stewart doubled on the very next pitch by Mulhearn to cap the scoring in the frame. Joey Gonzalez (10-7) would give two back on a Josh Rego double in the fourth inning, but the Grizzlies would respond right away in the fifth on a Penner RBI triple and Stewart sacrifice fly, taking a six-run lead once again at 8-2.Â
Gateway would also add two more runs in the seventh on a Gaedele two-run home run, his eighth of the season in just 24 games to give him four RBIs on the day, to finish off the scoring in the contest. Penner also finished with three RBIs in the game and three runs scored, while Stewart drove in a pair of runs as well. The Grizzlies’ bullpen also finished off a strong road trip with four scoreless innings, securing Gateway the series victory.Â
With a magic number of two to clinch their first playoff spot in the Frontier League since 2012, the Grizzlies return home for 10 of their final 13 regular season games, beginning on Tuesday, August 22, against the Windy City ThunderBolts. First pitch at Grizzlies Ballpark is set for 6:45 p.m. CT.
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.
