Home BaseballGateway Grizzlies Offense Scuffles As Grizzlies Lose Finale To Windy City

Offense Scuffles As Grizzlies Lose Finale To Windy City

Sullivan delivers “quality start,” but bats go cold for Gateway

by Jason Guerette
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The Gateway Grizzlies dropped a close game late to the Windy City ThunderBolts on Thursday night, falling 2-1 and being denied the three-game sweep at Ozinga Field despite a great start by Collin Sullivan (5-4).
The Gateway right-hander pitched into the seventh inning, and eventually allowed just two runs on six hits, walking one, and striking out seven. But he suffered the loss as the Grizzlies’ offense could not strike when they had opportunities to score.
After the Grizzlies failed to convert situations with runners at first and second base in the third inning, and runners at second and third base in the fourth inning, both times with no outs, Windy City scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the fifth. Kingston Liniak snuck a double fair inside first base, and went to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly, putting the Grizzlies behind for the first time in the series at 1-0.
Gateway would respond right away, getting runners at second and third base with one out after a single by David Maberry and a double by Jack-Thomas WoldD.J. Stewart then tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI bloop single over the drawn-in infield, but the Grizzlies could not score the lead run from third base later in the inning to go ahead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Liniak again reached second base to lead off, and was sacrificed to third base before scoring on an RBI fielder’s choice on a ground ball to first base, giving Windy City a 2-1 lead. That lead would hold the rest of the way, as Gateway had to settle for a series win instead of a sweep, dropping just their second contest in their last eight overall.
The Grizzlies will now look to regain momentum in their final series before the all-star break back at home in Sauget against the Joliet Slammers. Teague Conrad will start the opener of the weekend series on Friday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Grizzlies Ballpark, opposed by Slammers right-hander Brett Sanchez.

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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.

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