The Southern Illinois Miners took control early on Wednesday at Wuerfel Park in Traverse City, and Rick Teasley was brilliant in pitching a complete-game, nine-inning, four-hit shutout as they blanked the Traverse City Beach Bums 2-0 in the fastest nine-inning game in team history to pull into a tie for first place in the East Division standings.
Teasley (6-2) and Traverse City starter Kramer Champlin (5-3) both lasted the entire game, which at one hour and 44 minutes was the fastest game in Miners history, beating the previous low by 11 minutes. The Miners left-hander needed only 88 pitches (62 for strikes) to complete his shutout, allowing just four baserunners (all hits) and recording 20 of his 27 outs on ground balls, keeping the Beach Bums off balance all game long. He finished it off with the second of his only two strikeouts on the evening in the ninth inning, and elevated Southern Illinois into a tie for first place in the East Division for the first time since June 13th, while the Miners also became the first team in the Frontier League this season to 30 wins.
The win also clinches the Miners’ ninth consecutive road series win, tying the 2008 Miners for the franchise record for consecutive series victories away from Rent One Park. On the offensive side, Aaron Gates led off the game with a double and later scored on an RBI groundout by Frank Martinez for a 1-0 Miners advantage. In the sixth, after a leadoff single by Niko Vasquez, Martinez came through with an RBI double to right-center that made it 2-0.
The fast-moving game was also the second nine-inning shutout by a Miners pitcher this season (after Matt Bywater’s June 12th no-hitter) and was Teasley’s second shutout as a Miner after his own seven-inning no-hitter last season. Only Ryan Bird had thrown multiple shutouts in a Miners uniform before Wednesday’s win.
Now tied for first place in the division, the Miners will go for a sweep on Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. CT, with the winner of the game taking over possession of first place. The reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Year, Bywater, will take the ball for the Miners opposed by former Southern Illinois right-hander Anthony Montefusco.
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.
