Grizzlies catcher Willie Estrada makes a play at the plate against Evansville’s Bryan Rosario during Sunday’s deciding FLDS Game 3 at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget. (Photo: Primo Greenway)

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Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

SAUGET, IL — The historically fun and epically exciting 2023 Gateway Grizzlies baseball season came to a sudden end, Sunday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, when Gateway lost Game 3 of the Frontier League West Division Championship Series to the Evansville Otters, 9-7.

The winner-take-all final game came down to the final pitch, as Evansville led 9-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Gateway managed to get a runner on and bring slugger Mark Vierling to the plate with a chance to tie the game. And Vierling almost delivered, as he drove a fly ball deep into right field.

Unfortunately, Vierling’s blast fell a few inches short, as Evansville’s Jeffrey Baez was able to reel in the catch to end the game.

That set off a wild on the field celebration for the Otters, who will now represent the West Division in the Frontier League Championship Series. They will play the Québec Capitales, who won the East Division championship on Sunday, defeating the New Jersey Jackals two games to one.

Sunday’s game between Gateway and Evansville was a wild affair, as both teams scored early and often. The visitors struck first, in the top of the first, to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Grizzlies answered back with with three runs in the bottom of the second to take their own lead.

Vierling delivered the big blow, when he drove in two runs with a smash single up the middle that scored teammates Kyle Gaedele and Andrew Penner. The third run scored on a groundball out to third.

The Otters responded with a run in the top of the third, then scored seven runs in the top of the fifth to take a 9-3 lead. Eleven batters came to the plate and Gateway had to switch pitchers three times to get through the inning, which gave Evansville what proved to be an insurmountable lead.

But the Grizzlies kept battling. They got a run in the seventh to make it 9-4. Then got another run when Gaedele smashed a solo homer to leadoff the bottom of the eighth and make the score 9-5.

Things got even more exciting later in the inning, when Gateway loaded to bases for top slugger Peter Zimmermann. The native St. Louisan led the Grizzlies with 21 homers this season, and if he had been able to launch another it would have tied the game.

Zimmermann didn’t blast one out, but he did smack a line-shot single to left-center that scored two runs and pulled Gateway to within 9-7, with the tying runs now on base and the potential go-ahead run at the plate. But Evansville got out of the inning when Clint Freeman flied out to center.

Gateway reliever Brian Eichhorn struck out the side in the top of the ninth to set up the dramatic final half inning.

Penner, who had three hits on the night, led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, which meant every batter after him was the potential game-tying run.

Unfortunately, he was the only Grizzlie to reach base in the inning, as Gaedele, who also had three hits in the game, struck out and D.J. Stewart fouled out to set up Vierling’s dramatic final at-bat. And when he connected on a 2-2 pitch, every person in building thought it was gonna leave the park, but Baez was able to haul it in to end the game.

The 2023 season was a sensational one for the Grizzlies, who enjoyed their first winning season since 2014 and first playoff appearance and division title since 2012.

Gateway finished the regular season with a 59-37 record and will look to build on this fantastic year heading into next year.