The Southern Illinois Miners got seven runs on seven hits in the first three innings on Saturday night against the Evansville Otters as well as a solid start on the mound from Miguel Ramirez to pounce on the Otters and win 7-2 at Bosse Field to even up their weekend series at one game apiece and put the Miners back into a tie for first place with their opposition.
The offensive outburst began right away against former Miner Hunter Ackerman (1-4). Aaron Gates and Frank Martinez led off with a single and double, respectively, before an RBI groundout by Niko Vasquez made it 1-0. Later in the inning, two wild pitches by Ackerman scored Martinez to make it 2-0.
In the second, the Miners took advantage of two Evansville errors to plate four runs. Martinez had an RBI on a groundout and Michael Earley extended his hitting streak to seven in a row with an RBI double with two outs as the score was 6-0 after two. Steve Marino led off the third inning with a deep solo home run to left-center and the rout was on for Southern Illinois, leading 7-0 after three innings.
Ramirez (2-5) was outstanding on the bump to make the Miners’ offensive night stand up. The right-hander, making his first start since July 4th, fired six innings of one-run ball, allowing just six hits in the game while striking out four to earn the victory. Brandon Cowan finished off the ballgame with three innings of relief for his first save of the season.
All of the Miners starters had at least one hit in the contest, with six of the starting nine scoring at least one run and five driving in at least one run in the team effort that pulled the Miners back into a tie for first place with Evansville. The two teams will decide the weekend series in a rubber match on Sunday night at 5:05 p.m. Reigning pitcher of the year Matt Bywater will take the ball for the Miners against Evansville ace Trevor Walch, with the winner of the game taking over first place in the standings.
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.
