Gateway shortstop Justin Jones had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs in the Grizzlies’ win over Southern Illinois, Tuesday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. (Photo by Cedric Williams)
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
The Gateway Grizzlies continued their winning ways and extended their winning streak to three games in a row, thanks to a 7-4 victory over the Southern Illinois Miners, Tuesday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark in Sauget.
The visiting Miners posted a pair of two-run rallies in the second and seventh innings, respectively. But the Grizzlies answered back with multi-run rallies of their own to take the lead and eventually win the game.
The deciding rally of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, when Gateway scored three runs on just two hits. The Grizzlies also drew two walks in the inning, to go along with a hit batter and a defensive error by the Miners.
With the score tied at four, Gateway’s first three batters reached base to begin the bottom of the seventh, and the fourth man – second baseman Jose Rosario — drew a bases loaded walk to give the Grizzlies the lead.
Then after the next two batters struck out, left fielder Connor Owings also drew a bases loaded walk to put Gateway up two.
The hitting star of the night, shortstop Justin Jones, who had three hits and three RBIs, put a cap on the evening with a line-shot base hit that made the score 7-4 Grizzlies.
From there, Gateway got a pair of scoreless innings pitched from relievers Carter Hayes and Tanner Cable to close out the game. Cable tossed a three-up, three-down ninth to get his third save of the season.
Cody Thompson (1-3), who got the final out of the top of the seventh – a strikeout of Southern Illinois’ Anthony Brocato – to pick up his first of the season.
Starting pitcher Jordan Barrett had a good night as well, going six innings and allowing just two runs on five hits, while striking out four and walking two.
Barrett left the game with a 4-2 lead, but the Miners were able to tie the score on a two-out, two-run single by Ariel Sandoval.
The next batter walked to load the bases, but that was when Gateway brought in Thompson to get the final out and end what proved to be Southern Illinois’ final scoring chance of the night.
The Miners opened the scoring on a two-run home run by Brocato in the top of the second. But the Grizzlies answered with three runs of their own, thanks to an RBI groundout by Jones and a two-run double by Nick Rotola.
Jones extended Gateway’s lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth, when he smashed his third homer of the season over the left-centerfield wall.
The win raised the Grizzlies’ record to 28-33, as the club continues to inch its way closer to the .500 mark. Southern Illinois, which sits just above Gateway in the Frontier League West Division standings, fell to 31-30.
The two clubs will play the second game of their three-game set at GCS on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.