The Southern Illinois Miners led 3-0 after the first three innings thanks to two home runs, but only managed one hit after that as the Florence Freedom came back and won 6-4 at UC Health Stadium on Saturday night to even up the weekend series at one game apiece.
Aaron Gates got the Miners on the board immediately with a leadoff home run off of Florence starter Cody Gray in the first inning. It was the first leadoff homer by the Miners since Cory Harrilchak went deep against Gateway in August of 2013. They then followed it up in the third inning, as Niko Vasquez continued his red-hot streak at the plate by hitting his third homer in as many nights, a two-run blast to left to make it 3-0.
The Freedom got on the board in the fifth against Jon Klein, who lasted four-plus innings in his professional debut, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Florence plated two runs in the fifth inning before the Miners scored what was at the time an insurance run in the seventh, when Gates doubled home Brendan Slattery.
Florence then scored three runs in the bottom of the frame off of Eric Green (3-1), representing the first runs he had allowed all season out of the Miners bullpen. That gave the home team a 5-4 lead before the Freedom scored another run in the eighth for the final margin.
Vasquez and Gates each went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run to pace the Miners, who were out-hit 12-5 by Florence in the contest. With the series now tied at one game apiece, the Miners will take on the Freedom on Sunday evening at 5:05 p.m. CT in the rubber match, with Jarett Miller taking the hill in his second start with the Miners opposed by Coleman Stephens.
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.
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.
