Gateway’s Chase Vallot (25) and Windy City’s Brynn Martinez (4) discuss the action during Tuesday night’s Frontier League baseball game at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, Ill. (Photo: Nathan Assata)
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| Windy City | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 4 |
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
The Gateway Grizzlies got off to a strong start to the final week of the 2021 Frontier League regular season and snapped a three-game losing by pulling out a 7-4 win over the Windy City ThunderBolts, Tuesday night at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, Ill.
Gateway mashed out 11 hits, as every batter in the lineup reached base safely at least once, and the Grizzlies got four shutout innings from their relief staff to nab a victory over a Windy City club that had won four of its last five games.
Catcher Andres Regnault was the hitting star of the night for Gateway, as he posted three hits and scored two runs to lead his club. But the key play of the evening was a defensive miscue by the ThunderBolts on a ground ball hit by Dustin Woodcock that was booted by Windy City’s first baseman, which allowed two runners to score and gave the Grizzlies a 5-4 lead.
Windy City had originally led 3-0 and 4-3, first after posting three hits, a stolen base, and benefitting from a Gateway error in the bottom of the first. Then after the Grizzlies rallied back to tie the score, the ThunderBolts got a solo home run from third baseman Jace Mercer — his fourth of the season — to re-take the lead at 4-3.
But then the fifth inning came and Gateway sent seven men to the plate and got a hit by Regnault, a walk by Jose Rosario, and another hit by Justin Jones that loaded the bases for Woodcock, who had smashed his team-leading 14th homer of the season earlier in the game.
The Grizzlies’ centerfielder battled in a tough at-bat against Windy City’s Neil Abbatiello and managed to drill a 2-2 pitch down the first-base line that Windy City’s Rob Weissheier couldn’t field. Weissheier’s miscue allowed the tying a go-ahead runs to score and gave Gateway a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
And the Grizzlies were able to hold that lead thanks to the brilliant work of its bullpen, and in particular, Andrew Cartier, Blake Garrett, and Carson Cupo, who combined for four shutout innings and only allowed four Windy City hits.
The ThunderBolts did almost score in the bottom of the seventh, on a hit by Rob Calabrese, but the baserunner — Mercer — who began at second, was thrown out trying to score at the plate. Windy City also had a runner thrown out trying to steal second, but that was as close at the home team would get to scoring again.
Cupo did allow a leadoff double to begin the bottom of the ninth, but he then got three straight groundball outs to end the game and pick up his second save of the season. Starting pitcher Sam Gardner (5-3), the rookie from Murray State, pitched the first five innings to get the win.
Gateway and Windy City will play Game 2 of their three-game set, Wednesday night at Ozinga Field. Veteran starters Jordan Barrett (4-7) and Miguel Ausua (8-5) are expected to be the starting pitchers for their respective clubs.