The red-hot Andres Regnault has hit four HRs in his last four games and been a key reason why the Gateway Grizzlies have begun the new month by winning four of their first five games.
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
The turning of the calendar has been like a breath of fresh air for the Gateway Grizzlies.
During June, the first full month of the 2021 Frontier League season, Gateway stumbled and fumbled its way to an 8-18 record and just couldn’t get going at all. The Grizzlies never won more than two games in a row and had two three-game losing streaks and a full six-game losing streak.
It was a terrible month that saw Gateway fall to the worst record in the league. Even the turn from spring to summer didn’t help, as that occurred during the six-game losing streak.
But now that the calendar has turned to July, the Grizzlies have been as hot as the weather, winning four of their first five games this month, including a thrilling a 6-5 comeback win this past Saturday night over the Evansville Otters and a smashing 10-3 win over the Otters on Sunday.
Gateway’s record is still under .500 at 14-22. But the Grizzlies no longer have the worst record in the league, and by taking two of three from the Otters, they can now boast having won a series over the team with the best record in the league.
The home team’s recent success has also caught the eye of folks all around the league, as catcher Andres Regnault was named this week’s Player of the Week. Regnault earned the honor by bashing four home runs and driving in a league high 10 runs this past week.
Overall in the last seven days, Regnault was second in the league in batting, with a .471 average on eight hits and five runs scored. The four home runs came in Gateway’s last four games and now has Regnault leading the team with six homers on the season.
The Grizzlies will be on the road for the first part of this week, with a three-game set in Marion, IL against the Southern Illinois Miners. Then, beginning on Friday, Gateway will be back home at GCS Credit Union Ballpark to host a weekend series against the Florence Y’alls.
If the Grizzlies could have another strong week against third-place Southern Illinois and second-place Florence, they could put themselves back over the .500 mark and back into the hunt for the Frontier League West Division title.