Florence, KY – The Gateway Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, amassing 10 hits and a season-high 17 walks while scoring three or more runs four separate innings en route to a 14-2 drubbing of the Florence Y’alls, taking the series finale at Thomas More Stadium.
A pair of two-out walks in the third inning by Y’alls starter Rodney Hutchison (1-3) opened the door for the Grizzlies’ offense to take their first lead of the series, with Andrew Penner’s RBI single making it 1-0, and Peter Zimmermann’s subsequent two-run single giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the inning, with a man on base, Lukas Veinbergs (4-3) appeared to strike out Brennan Price looking, but the pitch was called a ball, and Price followed on the next pitch by hitting a two-run home run, cutting the lead to 3-2. Florence later loaded the bases with two outs in the inning, but Veinbergs struck out Sam Plash to preserve the lead, and the offense then busted the game open in the next inning.
In the fourth, the Grizzlies batted around and scored four runs on only one hit, drawing five walks and a hit-by-pitch in the frame to take a 7-2 lead. Abdiel Diaz joined Jairus Richards and Penner with RBIs in the inning. Gateway would not stop there, either, as they again sent their whole lineup to the plate in the fifth, scoring three more runs on four walks and two hits, with Penner, Gabe Holt, and Eric Rivera notching RBIs as the Grizzlies went ahead 10-2.
Another bat-around inning would follow in the eighth on three more walks, two hits, and an error, with the Grizzlies scoring four more times to complete the scoring. Richards, Penner, Zimmermann, and D.J. Stewart collected RBIs in the final run-scoring inning for the Grizzlies, who finished the night with a remarkable total of 17 walks drawn off five different Florence pitchers while not striking out a single time as a team in the rout.
Gateway will look to carry the momentum back home to Sauget when they open up a three-game weekend series against the Washington Wild Things on Friday, June 23, at 6:45 p.m. Carson LaRue will throw in the series opener against Washington left-hander Robert Gonzalez in the series opener at Grizzlies Ballpark.
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.
