The Southern Illinois Miners and Gateway Grizzlies had the second game of their series on Wednesday suspended in the first inning due to rain, forcing them to play a doubleheader on Thursday to finish the series. The Miners then broke out the bats to break out the brooms, outscoring the Grizzlies 23-6 in the two games to crush Gateway 12-6 in nine innings in the conclusion of the suspended game and 11-0 in seven innings in the second contest, sweeping the doubleheader and the series at GCS Ballpark.
The Miners got started in the top of the first inning of the first game, using an Aaron Gates leadoff solo home run and RBIs later in the inning after the suspension of the game by Steve Marino and Jon Minucci for a 3-0 lead. Gateway would creep back in it, but the Miners scored each time the Grizzlies threatened. With the score 3-2 in the fifth, Michael Earley smacked a solo home run to right to make it 4-2. Gateway got the run back in the bottom of the frame, but the Miners would seize control of the game for good in the sixth.
With the bases loaded thanks to a Jerrud Sabourin single, a Marino walk and an error allowing Brendan Slattery to reach, rookie outfielder Brian Portelli hit his first professional home run, a grand slam to right, to put the Miners ahead 8-3. Again, Gateway would score three unanswered over the next two innings to pull within 8-6, but the Miners responeded with even more power. Portelli hit a solo homer to right field for his second home run of the game, and three batters later Niko Vasquez demolished a pitch to straightaway center field for a three-run shot, completing the scoring for the first game. Portelli finished 2-for-4 with five RBIs while Earley tied his career-high with four hits, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored as the Miners won the long, back-and-forth, offensive-heavy contest to clinch the series.
The second game was all Miners from the start. Southern Illinois got an RBI single by Frank Martinez with two outs in the first to take the immediate lead, and Jarett Miller (2-1) turned in a gem of a start, throwing six shutout innings and allowing just three baserunners (all hits) with no walks and five strikeouts. The Miners then exploded again with ten runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined. In the fifth, the first seven batters reached base, with Earley and Martinez driving in one and two runs, respectively, with doubles before the rally was capped by Sabourin, who hit a three-run homer to right, his first of the season, making it 7-0.
In the sixth, the Miners would put a cherry on top of their offensively potent sweep with four more runs. Sabourin set a new season-high with his fourth RBI on a groundout and Marino hit an RBI single for a 9-0 lead before Portelli capped a remarkable day with yet another home run, a two-run shot to right, to make it 11-0 and finish off the Grizzlies.
The Miners out-hit Gateway 12 to three in the second game, with three hits by Martinez and two hits apiece from four different players as the Miners swept a series in Sauget for the second straight time, never once trailing in the series. They have won seven in a row at GCS Ballpark dating back to last June, and with the sweep clinched their eighth consecutive road series victory and 12th in their last 13 overall dating back to last July. Their road record this season is now 14-4.
The Miners will return home for the holiday weekend to host a series against the Normal CornBelters beginning on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Year Matt Bywater will take the hill for Southern Illinois as the team begins their final home series before the all-star break.
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.
