Comeback Comes Up Just Short As Grizzlies Lose At Lake Erie

by Jason Guerette May 12, 2024

written by Jason Guerette May 12, 2024

The Gateway Grizzlies came back from an early three-run deficit to take a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning on Saturday night, saw the Lake Erie Crushers plate seven unanswered runs, then nearly came back from that deficit late before falling 11-9 at Crushers Stadium in a wild, back-and-forth game.

Lake Erie again scored first, this time by plating three runs off Ryne Moore in the bottom of the first inning on RBI hits by Vincent Byrd, Jr., Ron Washington, Jr., and Jack Harris, taking a 3-0 lead. Gateway, though, would come back, as Jack-Thomas Wold hit a solo homer in his first Grizzlies at-bat to make it 3-1 in the second inning, and Andrew Moritz came through with a two-out RBI single in the third to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Lake Erie got a run back in the bottom of the third, but the Grizzlies kept coming. After Wold doubled with two outs in the fourth, D.J. Stewart drove him in with a single to make it 4-3. In the fifth inning, also with two outs, Peter Zimmermann doubled in Moritz and Michael Sandle to put the Grizzlies up 5-4.

That lead also would not hold, however, as the Crushers got both runs back in their half of the fifth, taking a 6-5 lead on Scout Knotts’ two-out RBI single. Lake Erie then scored five times in the bottom of the seventh against Alvery De Los Santos, taking an 11-5 lead into the eighth inning.

Again, the Grizzlies would rally. In the eighth, Gateway loaded the bases for Moritz, who struck out swinging, but reached base on a wild pitch, scoring a runner from third to make it 11-6. Then, in the ninth, they put two more runners on base for Cole Brannen, who launched a three-run, two-out homer to right field, making the score 11-9 Crushers. Sandle, Gabe Holt, and Moritz all followed by reaching base, putting the tying run at second and the lead run at first base, but that is where the remarkable rally came to a close, with Zimmermann grounding out to end the game.

Wold finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored in his Grizzlies debut to lead the way offensively, while Brannen finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Stewart ended up 2-for-4 with an RBI as well.

The Grizzlies will now look to win the series in the finale on Sunday, May 12, at 1:05 p.m. CT, with Collin Sullivan pitching against former Grizzlie Matt Mulhearn at Crushers Stadium.

Jason Guerette

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.

Jason Guerette

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.

Comeback Comes Up Just Short As Grizzlies Lose At Lake Erie

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