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Miners Stunned By Greys In Ninth

by Jason Guerette

The Southern Illinois Miners, leading 5-4 entering the ninth inning, saw the Frontier Greys score two runs in the ninth inning to take a 6-4 loss at Rent One Park on Wednesday night, evening the series at one game apiece.

The Greys led for most of the contest, scoring four runs in the first three innings including two home runs to build a 4-2 lead after three frames. The Miners trailed 3-0 before coming back with two runs in the bottom of the second on three straight RBI doubles by Ryan DiMascio, Toby DeMello and Aaron Gates, the latter two driving in runs.

After Gates and Michael Earley hit singles to set up the Miners with runners at first and third and none out, Jerrud Sabourin hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring Southern Illinois within a run at 4-3. That lasted until the seventh, when the Miners took the lead thanks to Gates’ fourth hit of the game, a single, followed by a two-run home run by Earley to left field. The huge hit was the first home run by the Miners this season at home, and gave the home team the 5-4 lead.

But in the ninth, the Greys would rally, After a one-out walk was followed by a single to put runners at first and third, Shane Brown hit a fly ball to right field that was caught, then dropped by Sako Chapjian to bring home the tying run. Will Rankin (0-1) then struck out the next hitter for what would have been the third out of the inning before Francisco Rosario singled to score the eventual winning run, which was unearned off of the Miners’ closer thanks to the error earlier in the inning.

Southern Illinois would try a rally of their own in the bottom half of the ninth, as Earley singled and was followed after a fielder’s choice by Frank Martinez’s single to put the tying run in scoring position with one out. But a flyout and a strikeout ended the contest and dropped the Miners to 15-8 on the season.

Gates tied his career-best with four hits for the Miners, while Martinez had a season-high three hits in extending his hitting streak to 12 games in a row. Earley also had three hits in the game to extend his personal hitting streak to eight in a row in the tough loss. The Miners will host the Greys in a rubber match on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m., with Ryan Brockett starting for the home team against the Greys Eric Kline

The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2014 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at 618-998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

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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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