Grizzlies Sweep Doubleheader In Evansville

EVANSVILLE, IND. – The Gateway Grizzlies swept a doubleheader on Wednesday night from the Evansville Otters by final scores of 5-3 and 3-1, clinching the road series win while improving to 3-2 on the young season.

In Game 1, the Grizzlies struck first in the second inning. Jose Alvarez reached base on an error by Otters third baseman Jomar Reyes, and both Mark Vierling and Cole Brannen followed with singles to load the bases for Michael Sandle, who drew a walk off Otters starter Zach Smith (0-1) to put Gateway up 1-0. An RBI groundout by Gabe Holt then made the score 2-0.

In the third, Peter Zimmermann doubled to lead off, and D.J. Stewart singled before Jack-Thomas Wold’s sacrifice fly increased the lead to 3-0. The Otters would strike back in the bottom of the inning with two outs, however, using back-to-back homers by Reyes and Randy Bednar to tie the score at 3-3. It was the only runs allowed in four solid innings by Nathanial Tate (1-0), with the right-hander striking out five in his season debut.

But the Grizzlies persevered, and in the fifth inning, another error by Reyes allowed Zimmermann to reach base. Stewart then walked, and Wold lined an RBI single to right field to make it 4-3 Gateway. Alvarez followed with a sacrifice fly to center field for a 5-3 score, and the Grizzlies’ bullpen held the lead the rest of the way, with Lukas Veinbergs working around a bases-loaded jam in the seventh for his second save of the year.

In Game 2, the Grizzlies again took advantage of the Otters’ sloppy defense to go ahead, with Holt reaching on a leadoff error by shortstop Riley Delgado in the third inning before Stewart cranked a two-run home run to left-center field, his first of the year, for a 2-0 lead. Holt smashed a solo shot of his own in the fifth inning off Otters starter Braden Scott (0-2) to make it a 3-0 game.

Although Evansville got a run back in their half of the inning on an RBI groundout by David Mendham, it was the only run they scored off Tyler Cornett (1-0) in his Gateway debut across four and two-thirds innings. Matt Hickey pitched the next inning and two-thirds, and Osvaldo Berrios picked up his first save with a scoreless seventh as the Grizzlies clinched just their second series win at Bosse Field since 2016.

The Grizzlies will go for the series sweep on Thursday, May 16, at 6:35 p.m., sending Deylen Miley to the mound against Evansville’s Parker Brahms at Bosse Field.

The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at Grizzlies Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, four West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.

The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2024 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.

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