Andrew Penner gets a celebration bucket bath, following his game-winning hit Tuesday night for the Gateway Grizzlies. (Photo courtesy: Gateway Grizzlies)

Final – Aug. 22, 202312345678910RHE
Windy City ThunderBolts300030031010132
Gateway Grizzlies000340201111130

Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer

SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies earned themselves another thrilling victory, and also put themselves on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, thanks to a sensational 11-10 walk off win over the Windy City ThunderBolts, Tuesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark.

Veteran second baseman Andrew Penner delivered a line-drive basehit that scored Cole Brannen in the bottom of the 10th inning to produce the winning run. Brannen’s score brought the entire Grizzlies team out onto the field to celebrate, and culminated with a water bucket bath for Penner and lots of hugs and high fives from his teammates.

The win, Gateway’s 52nd of the season, lowered the club’s playoff spot magic number to one. If the Grizzlies should win one more game or the Joliet Slammers lose another game — with 12 games left on the schedule — Gateway will qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

On Tuesday night, things began rough for the Grizzlies, as the ThunderBolts jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, thanks to a pair of back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning.

The score would remain 3-0 until the bottom of the fourth, when D.J. Stewart came up with two runners aboard and tied the game with a three-run home run, his 10th of the season.

The ThunderBolts would then score three more times in the top of the fifth to regain their advantage.

But the Grizzlies also responded against former Gateway right-hander Taylor Sugg in the bottom of the fifth, with Cole Brannen’s sacrifice fly and an error by Sugg drawing them within 6-5 before Stewart came up again and put the Grizzlies ahead 7-6 on a two-run double.

In the seventh, Gateway expanded the lead to 9-6 on a wild pitch and a two-out RBI double by Eric Rivera. But in the eighth, Windy City tied the game with a two-out, three-run homer.

Then, in the top of the ninth, the ThunderBolts took a 10-9 lead, following a passed ball by Josh Lucas.

But yet again, the Grizzlies struck back. Jairus Richards took Derrick Edington deep to right field for a game-tying solo shot in the bottom half against his former team, sending the contest to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, with the International Tiebreaker in effect, Windy City moved the automatic runner to third base on a sacrifice bunt, and attempted to score the go-ahead run on a fly ball by Boone to center field. But Rivera threw out Dan Robinson at home plate to end the inning, and keep the score tied at 10-10.

That set the stage for Penner’s dramatic finish, with Brannen scoring the winning run, following a sacrifice bunt by Mark Vierling.

The Grizzlies will look to clinch their playoff spot Wednesday night, when they’ll host game two against the ThunderBolts at Grizzlies Ballpark.

First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m., with Lukas Veinbergs taking the mound for Gateway against Windy City’s Logan Schmitt.