Gateway outfielder Cole Brannen chases down a fly ball during Tuesday’s Frontier League game against Evansville at Grizzlies Ballpark. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer

SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies got another stellar performance from starting pitcher Lukas Veinbergs and scored runs in every inning but one, on its way to a 9-0 thumping of the visiting Evansville Otters, Tuesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark.

The victory lifted Gateway’s record to 55-35 on the season, and along with the loss by the Schaumburg Boomers, lowered the Grizzlies’ magic number to clinching the Frontier League West Division title to three. And Gateway could finish the deal as soon as Wednesday, when it hosts a doubleheader against the Otters.

Should Gateway win both games and Schaumburg lose its game against the Florence Y’alls, the Grizzlies would officially be the West Division champs.

On Tuesday, Gateway got dynamite performances on every side of the diamond, led by Veinbergs (9-3), who set a new career-best in innings pitched by finishing what he started, throwing 81 of his 120 pitches for strikes, and walking just one Otters batter against his nine strikeouts for the first nine-inning shutout thrown by a Grizzlies pitcher in almost exactly one year.

At the plate, Jairus Richards and Eric Rivera both had three hits, while teammate Mark Vierling had two, as Gateway banged out 13 total hits on the night. Richards had an especially big night, as two of his hits were home runs, which gives him now 16 dingers on the season.

Clint Freeman also homered, giving him 10 for the season.

Richards also recorded his 72nd stolen base of the season on Tuesday, which set a new Frontier League record.

Wednesday’s doubleheader will begin with game one at 5:30 p.m., and game two slated to begin at 7:30.