Gateway third baseman D.J. Stewart had two hits and three RBIs in the Grizzlies’ 16-6 win over Ottawa, Friday night at Grizzlies Ballpark. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| Gateway Grizzlies | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 16 | 19 | 0 |
SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies scored runs in four straight innings to open their series against the Ottawa Titans on Friday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, including 11 in a massive, second-inning onslaught en route to a 16-6 victory.
Adopting an alternate identity as the “Gateway Toasted Ravioli,” they took an early 1-0 lead when two wild pitches and a balk by Ottawa starter Trevor Clifton (0-1) scored Gabe Holt following a leadoff single in the first inning. The Titans responded against Carson LaRue (1-0), as they scored three runs on five hits in the top of the second, including homers by Gabe Snyder and Taylor Wright, to take a 3-1 advantage.
Then came the pivotal bottom of the second inning. Andrew Penner began it with a walk, and Jairus Richards was hit by a pitch before Peter Zimmermann doubled to make it 3-2.
A passed ball tied the score, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Holt, who was plunked to force in the go-ahead run. With the score 4-3, Eric Rivera hit a ball back to Clifton, whose wild throw to home plate bounced away for an error and scored two more runs to make it 6-3.
Two batters later, D.J. Stewart drove in two with a single and an 8-3 advantage, and Penner followed with a solo home run for a 9-3 lead.
After Richards subsequently singled, the Titans made a pitching change, and Max Steffens was greeted by back-to-back solo homers from Zimmermann and Willie Estrada before a groundout ended the inning, with Gateway scoring 11 runs on only six hits in the seismic frame.
The Grizzlies would keep right on scoring- Stewart plated his third run of the night on sacrifice fly in the third, and Zimmermann homered in the bottom of the fourth, a solo shot which answered a homer by A.J. Wright in the top half, to make the score 14-4.
Both teams scored a pair of runs in the sixth to complete the scoring, with RBI hits by Rivera and Mark Vierling accounting for the final score.
Zimmermann led the “Toasted Ravioli” with a monster, 4-for-5 day at the plate that included two homers and two doubles, plus three runs scored and four RBIs, while Rivera and Penner enjoyed three-hit days as part of a 19-hit attack. Every single Grizzlies position player on the roster recorded at least one hit in the game, and the 16 runs scored marked a new season-high for the club.
The Grizzlies, back in their old identity, will look for a series win over Ottawa when the two teams clash again on Saturday, May 20.
Collin Sullivan will make his first start of the season for the Grizzlies, opposed by the Titans’ Damon Casetta-Stubbs.
(Story provided by Gateway Grizzlies media relations).