Grizzlies’ shortstop Abdiel Diaz steals third base during Wednesday’s game at Grizzlies Ballpark against the Lake Erie Crushers. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Frontier League | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie Crushers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies returned to Grizzlies Ballpark on Wednesday, but it was the Lake Erie Crushers who looked more at home, as the visitors grabbed a late lead and held on through the final innings of a 2-1 win.
Lake Erie took a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning and Gateway answered with a run in the bottom of the eighth. But that was all the Grizzlies would get in a critical victory for the Crushers, who moved to within two games of the Grizzlies for second place in the Frontier League West Division standings.
The team that finishes second would host the West Division Wild Card Game on September 3, with the winner advancing to the West Division Championship Series.
Lake Erie and Gateway will play the rubber game of their series on Thursday. First pitch at Grizzlies Ballpark is slated for 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, it was the pitchers who dominated the night. Gateway’s Collin Sullivan went 5 2/3 innings and didn’t allow any runs, while giving up just four hits and two walks. He also struck out seven in a no-decision.
Lake Erie’s Anthony Escobar (8-2) got the win. He went 6 1/3 innings and also gave up no runs. Escobar did give up two hits and two walks, but also struck out two.
The relief pitchers were also very good for both teams. Gateway’s Keegan Collett, Gage Vailes, and Alec Whaley all went one inning and didn’t give up any runs.
The only Grizzlies pitcher that did allow runners to score was the one who took the loss, Justin Goossen-Brown (0-1). The veteran righthander gave up just one hit and one walk, but both led to runs scoring, and proved to be the difference in the ballgame.
Once Gateway scored in the eighth, the Crushers turned to their all-star closer, Trevor Kuncl, who got the final six outs without allowing another run to score.
In that eighth inning, Kuncl struck out one Gateway batter, then produced a double play groundball to get the final two outs. In the ninth, he got the Grizzlies out three-up, three-down to close out the game and pick up his 19th save of the season.
The Grizzlies had just three hits the entire night — one by newly acquired outfielder Victor Castillo and two by all-star leadoff man Gabe Holt, who also drove in Gateway’s lone run of the night.
Veteran righthander Lukas Veinbergs will start on Thursday for the Grizzlies, while the Crushers will counter with Kirkwood-native Jack Eisenbarger.
UPCOMING GATEWAY GRIZZLIES BASEBALL GAMES
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 15, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Lake Erie Crushers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 16, 2024 (Friday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Windy City ThunderBolts | Ozinga Field / Crestwood, IL |
| August 17, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:05 pm | Away | Windy City ThunderBolts | Ozinga Field / Crestwood, IL |
| August 18, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:05 pm | Away | Windy City ThunderBolts | Ozinga Field / Crestwood, IL |
| August 20, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 21, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 22, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |