Grizzlies Suffer Heartbreaking Loss, Plus Other Weekend Roundup

SAUGET – The Gateway Grizzlies had their hearts broken yet again at Grizzlies Ballpark, as an error with two outs in the top of the ninth led to the go-ahead run in a 3-2 loss to the Windy City ThunderBolts on Sunday afternoon, the club’s third on the home stand in their opponent’s last turn at bat.

Struggling to come up with a clutch hit all week long, Gateway finally got one in the bottom of the second inning with two outs from Abdiel Diaz, who doubled off the base of the left field wall to score a pair of runs and make it 2-0. That lead held until the top of the fourth, when Kaleb Hill surrendered a two-out, two-run, game-tying home run to Kingston Liniak. Those two tallies would be the only runs Hill would allow in his second pro start over six strong innings, striking out seven and keeping the game tied by retiring the final six batters he faced.

In relief of Hill, Alec Whaley then retired six batters in a row, and Lukas Veinbergs (0-3) retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the ninth inning to run a streak of ThunderBolts batters retired to 14 in a row. But then things turned sour again late for Gateway- Brennen Dorighi and Liniak hit back-to-back singles, and Garrett Broussard hit a ground ball to first base that was booted by Jack-Thomas Wold for an error, scoring the runner from second base and stunningly putting the Grizzlies behind 3-2.

The Grizzlies were then retired in order in the bottom of the ninth inning, enduring their third consecutive series loss despite winning the series opener, and finishing a 2-4 home stand where each of their four losses were by two runs or fewer.

The Grizzlies now embark on yet another road trip to play another series against the Washington Wild Things in Pennsylvania, and will look to recover at Wild Things Park in the series opener on Tuesday, June 18, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT.

Big Hit Eludes Grizzlies Again In Loss

The Gateway Grizzlies out-hit the Windy City ThunderBolts nine to six on Saturday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, and brought the tying run to the plate three times in their last four turns at bat, but went only 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in a 3-1 loss.

Gateway fell behind early in this game, as a leadoff error preceded a walk followed by an automatic double by Kyle Harbison off Tyler Cornett (3-1) in the second inning, giving Windy City a 1-0 lead. An RBI groundout by Cam Phelts then made the score 2-0, and in the third inning, Joe Johnson found the short porch in right field with a solo home run, making it 3-0 ThunderBolts.

For the second time this season, the Grizzlies offense was flummoxed by Kevin “Buddie” Pindel, as the right-hander allowed just one baserunner in his first three innings of the game as the lead built up. Gateway would try and break through for most of the night, but was held back- the Grizzlies got a pair of hits in the fourth, sixth, and eighth innings, but failed to score each time, stranding the bases loaded in the seventh after chasing Pindel from the game.

After the side was retired in the eighth in order, Gateway got a rally going in the ninth. Jose Alvarez drew a one-out walk, and Cole Brannen hit a single to right-center field that moved Alvarez to third base. Tate Wargo then collected his first professional RBI, breaking up the shutout with an RBI groundout to make the score 3-1, and Abdiel Diaz was hit by a pitch, putting the tying runs on base. But a strikeout by Tyler LaPorte ended the game, and left the Grizzlies even in the weekend series.

A bright spot for Gateway continues to be their pitching staff, which combined to allow just a single earned run in the game, with Nathanial Tate, Gage Vailes, and Alvery De Los Santos surrendering just two hits in the final six innings of the ballgame combined after Cornett departed with an injury.

Grizzlies Out-Pitch ThunderBolts In Bounce-Back Win

The Gateway Grizzlies bounced back on Friday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, holding the Windy City ThunderBolts to just two hits in the game while taking advantage of a wild visiting bullpen in a 9-2 victory to kick off the three-game series.

The Grizzlies’ offense was able to snag the early lead in the bottom of the first inning as Abdiel Diaz led off against ThunderBolts starter Ruddy Gomez with a double, stole third base, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Krause to put Gateway ahead 1-0.

Deylen Miley (3-3) took it from there, as the right-hander retired the first nine batters he faced with six strikeouts. Windy City used back-to-back leadoff walks in the top of the fourth, plus a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Joe Johnson, to even up the score at 1-1, but the Gateway starter kept his foot on the gas pedal, lasting a career-high six innings and striking out 10 batters while giving up just the one run and one hit.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, after Gomez departed, the Grizzlies put together a big inning to take the lead for good. Peter Zimmermann and Jack-Thomas Wold led off with walks, and with one out, a pair of wild pitches by Jacob Newman (0-1) gave Gateway the lead at 2-1. After Newman got the second out, Jose Alvarez hit a ground ball up the middle that was booted for a costly error by Windy City shortstop Henry Kusiak, scoring Wold from third base and making the score 3-1.

Gateway was not done there. An infield single and a walk loaded the bases, and Cole Brannen was plunked with a pitch to increase the lead to 4-1. Krause then singled home two more runs for a 6-1 lead, and after Windy City got a run back on a solo home run from Christian Kuzemka in the top of the seventh, Gateway would respond by scoring one run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Alvarez and two more in the eighth on a passed ball and another wild pitch, accounting for the final 9-2 score.

All told, the Grizzlies pitching staff allowed just two hits and two walks in the contest while striking out 14 as a staff, out-pitching the Windy City arms, who issued five wild pitches on the night as well as nine walks against 10 strikeouts as Gateway earned their third-straight win in a series opener.

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