Grizzlies 3B D.J. Stewart bashes a two-run homer in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Florence Y’alls. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Final – Aug. 9, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Y’alls | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | X | 5 | 12 | 1 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
Sauget, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies got six strong innings from starting pitcher Collin Sullivan and outstanding relief pitching from three others, who combined held the Florence Y’alls to a single run on five hits en route to a 5-1 win at Grizzlies Ballpark on Tuesday night, snapping the visitors’ five-game win streak in the process.
The victory lifted Gateway’s record to 45-27, and combined with second-place Schaumburg’s loss on Tuesday, gave the Grizzlies a three-game lead for first place in the Frontier League West Division race. Gateway also tied the New Jersey Jackals and Québec Capitales for the best record in the entire Frontier League this season.
Sullivan (9-3) allowed a run in the first inning when Brian Fuentes hit an RBI double off the top of the right-center field wall to score Brennan Price from first base and give Florence a 1-0 lead.
But that would be the only run he allowed on the night in winning his Frontier League-leading ninth game of the season, striking out seven, and walking just two.
Offensively, D.J. Stewart smacked a go-ahead, two-run home run out to right-center field to put the Grizzlies ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second. It was his ninth homer of the season and proved to be the blow that gave Gateway the lead for good.
Florence’s Jake McMahill (2-5) would settle in from there, retiring 10 batters in a row at one point, but the Grizzlies got two more runs off of him in his final inning to help maintain their lead.
Kyle Gaedele hit a solo home run leading off the bottom of the seventh — his second dinger since joining Gateway last month — and two batters later, after Stewart singled and stole second base, Alex Hernandez drove him in with an RBI hit to make the score 4-1.
Gateway would score its final run on a two-out error by Florence reliever Aaron Rund in the bottom of the eighth, which proved to be more than enough, as Grizzlies relievers Trevor Tietz, Alec Whaley, and Brian Eichhorn each pitched a scoreless inning to close the game out.
With the win, and losses by Washington, Evansville, and Schaumburg, the Grizzlies lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to 12. Gateway hasn’t made the Frontier League playoffs in 11 years, so the excitement has been building as the Grizzlies continue to get closer to snapping that streak.
Gateway, which also owns a league-best 28-9 home record this season, will look to maintain its momentum in game two against Florence on Wednesday. The Grizzlies will start veteran righthander Joey Gonzalez (8-6) against Florence rookie righty Carter Spivey (3-1).
First pitch on Wednesday at Grizzlies Ballpark is slated for 6:45 p.m.
2023 Frontier League Standings
| Place | Frontier League West | W-L | Pct. | Streak | Last 10 | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gateway Grizzlies | 45-27 | .625 | won 1 | 6-4 | — |
| 2. | Schaumburg Boomers | 42-30 | .583 | lost 4 | 4-6 | 3.0 |
| 3. | Evansville Otters | 40-32 | .556 | lost 1 | 5-5 | 5.0 |
| 4t | Joliet Slammers | 33-40 | .452 | won 4 | 6-4 | 12.5 |
| Washington Wild Things | 33-40 | .452 | lost 1 | 5-5 | 12.5 | |
| 6. | Windy City ThunderBolts | 31-41 | .431 | won 1 | 5-5 | 14.0 |
| 7. | Florence Y’alls | 31-42 | .425 | lost 1 | 5-5 | 14.5 |
| 8. | Lake Erie Crushers | 28-45 | .391 | won 1 | 1-9 | 17.5 |