The Southern Illinois Miners got a great start from Adam Lopez and just enough offense on a day where both teams had multiple opportunities to score runs as they beat the Normal CornBelters 2-1 to salvage the finale of the Independence Day weekend series and gain a game in the East Division standings on Sunday at Rent One Park.
Aaron Gates gave the Miners an immediate lead again, taking Kevin Johnson (4-2) deep to right for his fourth homer of the season to lead off the first inning and a 1-0 Miners lead. The CornBelters would get the tying run in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single by Richard Lucas, but the Miners got the run right back with a two-out rally of their own in the bottom half of the third. With two outs, Niko Vasquez doubled down the left field line and was driven home on an RBI single by Frank Martinez, making it 2-1 Miners.
That margin would hold up the rest of the way, as Lopez (6-0) remained unbeaten in allowing just one run over seven innings on seven hits, with the Miners improving to 8-0 in games he has started. Both teams had runners on base in every single inning, and Normal got the tying run into scoring position in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings against Lopez and reliever Eric Green. Lopez, however, got out of a huge jam in the seventh with a runner at third and only one out by jamming Santiago Chirino into a popout and striking out Pat McKenna on a high fastball, the final pitch he threw, for his fourth strikeout.
Green allowed two two-out baserunners in the eighth, but he struck out Aaron Wright to end the frame and keep the Miners in front. Pete Perez then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his fifth save, as the Miners improved to 28-17 by gaining a game on both Evansville and Traverse City in their final home game before the all-star break. They are now tied once again with the Otters for second place in the East division, two games back of the first-place Beach Bums.
The Miners will embark on a six-game road trip to conclude the first half of the season, traveling up to Traverse City for a big three-game series with the Beach Bums beginning on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. Jarett Miller will get the ball in the series opener against Beach Bums lefty Ian MacDougall.
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.
