Gateway slugger D.J. Stewart hit his fourth homer of the season in the Grizzlies’ 11-2 win over the Evansville Otters, Friday night. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

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Jason Barnes
Staff Writer

SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies continued their week of strong pitching and even stronger hitting on Friday, when they defeated the Evansville Otters, 11-2, in a Frontier League baseball game at Grizzlies Ballpark.

Gateway smacked four home runs — two by Jack-Thomas Wold, who finished the night with six RBIs — and got another fabulous pitching outing by rookie Teague Conrad on its way to its sixth straight win.

Conrad (2-0), who played the past two NCAA seasons at SIU-Edwardsville, was making just his third professional start and earned his second win by going eight innings and allowing just one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out nine. And at one point, Conrad retired 16 straight Evansville batters, as the Otters just couldn’t seem to figure out how to hit the 6-foot-2 righthander from Schaumburg, Ill.

Despite that it was the Otters who got on the board first, when Mason White hit a solo home run to right field for his first professional hit in his debut game, making the score 1-0 Evansville. Conrad then permitted a walk and a single in the frame, but would get a huge double-play ground ball and a strikeout to get out of the trouble.

Conrad was not finished in the slightest, as he would also retire the next 14 Evansville batters to step up to the plate. When all was said and done, the right-hander had tossed the longest outing of the season by any Grizzlies pitcher this season in just his third professional start, striking out nine (including five straight at one point) over eight frames to earn his second straight win.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ offense would overwhelm the Otters’ pitching staff in what became a blowout. Gabe Holt tied the score at 1-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning, and in the fourth, Wold began what was a career day at the plate with a go-ahead two-run homer to right field off Parker Brahms (1-3), giving the Grizzlies a 3-1 lead.

Gateway did not stop there. In the fifth, with the bases empty and two outs, Holt reached on an infield single, and after two Brahms walks loaded the bases, Wold came up again, and hit a two-run single to center field off the glove of the diving shortstop, making it a 5-1 Grizzlies lead.

In the sixth inning, Mark Vierling led off with a single, and Jose Alvarez hit a potential double-play ball to second base that was booted for an error by Austin Bost. Abdiel Diaz then crushed a three-run homer to right field, his first long ball of the season, to blow the game open and make the score 8-1.

The Grizzlies capped the scoring in the seventh when Wold came up with a man on base and slammed his second two-run homer of the night. On the next pitch, D.J. Stewart followed with a solo home run of his own, capping the Gateway scoring and making the margin 11-1.

Anthony Calarco would hit a solo shot in the ninth inning for the final 11-2 tally, but it was too little, too late as the Grizzlies blasted their West Division rivals to improve to 13-6 on the season while sending the Otters to their fifth straight defeat. Wold led the offensive assault by going 4-for-4 with two homers, two runs scored, and six RBIs, setting career-highs in hits and runs batted in with the performance.

Gateway, which is now 13-6 on the season, will look to keep rolling in the middle game of the series on Saturday, June 1. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with Ryne Moore getting the start for the Grizzlies against Evansville southpaw Johan Castillo.

SCORING SUMMARY

InningsPlayV – H
Evansville Otters  3rdM. White homered, RBI.1 – 0
Gateway Grizzlies  3rdG. Holt singled, RBI; A. Diaz scored.1 – 1
Gateway Grizzlies  4thJ. Wold (4) homered, 2 RBI; P. Zimmerman scored.1 – 3
Gateway Grizzlies  5thJ. Wold singled, 2 RBI; P. Zimmerman advanced to third; K. Krause scored; G. Holt G. Holt.1 – 4
Gateway Grizzlies  6thA. Diaz(1) homered, 3 RBI; J. Alvarez scored, unearned; M. Vierling scored.1 – 7
Gateway Grizzlies  7thJ. Wold (5) homered, 2 RBI; P. Zimmerman scored.1 – 9
Gateway Grizzlies  7thD. Stewart (4) homered, RBI.1 – 10
Evansville Otters  9thA. Calarco homered, RBI.2 – 10

UPCOMING GATEWAY GRIZZLIES BASEBALL GAMES

DateTimeAtOpponentLocation
June 1, 2024 (Saturday)6:30 pmHomeEvansville OttersGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 2, 2024 (Sunday)1:05 pmHomeEvansville OttersGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 4, 2024 (Tuesday)5:30 pmAwayOttawa TitansOttawa Stadium / Ottawa, Canada
June 5, 2024 (Wednesday)10:00 amAwayOttawa TitansOttawa Stadium / Ottawa, Canada
June 6, 2024 (Thursday)5:30 pmAwayOttawa TitansOttawa Stadium / Ottawa, Canada
June 7, 2024 (Friday)6:05 pmAwayQuébec CapitalesStade Canac / Québec City, Canada
June 8, 2024 (Saturday)6:05 pmAwayQuébec CapitalesStade Canac / Québec City, Canada
June 9, 2024 (Sunday)4:05 pmAwayQuébec CapitalesStade Canac / Québec City, Canada
June 11, 2024 (Tuesday)6:30 pmHomeWashington Wild ThingsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 12, 2024 (Wednesday)10:45 amHomeWashington Wild ThingsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 13, 2024 (Thursday)6:30 pmHomeWashington Wild ThingsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 14, 2024 (Friday)6:30 pmHomeWindy City ThunderBoltsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 15, 2024 (Saturday)6:30 pmHomeWindy City ThunderBoltsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL
June 16, 2024 (Sunday)1:05 pmHomeWindy City ThunderBoltsGrizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL