MVP candidate Peter Zimmermann blasted his 21st home run of the season to lead the Gateway Grizzlies to another win on Monday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Monday – July 31, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0 |
| Schaumburg Boomers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
SCHAUMBURG, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies picked up another big win on Monday and helped itself reclaim sole possession of first place in the Frontier League West Division.
The Grizzlies banged out 13 hits, including a booming grand slam home run by rising league most valuable player candidate Peter Zimmermann, to cruise to a 10-2 win at Wintrust Field, over the previously red-hot Schaumburg Boomers.
Gateway snapped Schaumburg’s seven-game winning streak and pushed its record to a West Division-best 41-24. The Boomers fell to 40-25.
As it has so often this season, Gateway jumped out to an early lead — 2-0 — thanks to a pair of RBI hits by D.J. Stewart and Abdiel Diaz in the top of the second inning. Schaumburg got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 2-1, but the Grizzlies regained their two-run lead in the fifth, following an RBI groundout by Clint Freeman.
That only set the stage for the huge seventh inning Gateway had, which was capped by Zimmerman’s grand slam. The blast was his 21st of the season and allowed him to raise his league-leading RBI total to 82.
The Grizzlies added another couple of runs in the top of the ninth to put the game away.
Starting pitcher Lukas Veinbergs (6-3) tossed six strong innings to get the win. The rookie righthander from Pinckney, Mich., allowed just one run on six hits, while striking out one and walking just one.
Besides Zimmerman, Freeman was the offensive star of the night for Gateway. He had three hits, two RBIs, and scored two runs. Cole Brannen, Kyle Gaedele, and Eric Rivera allowed had two hits each, as well.
Monday’s contest was a single game affair. The Grizzlies will be right back out on the road, headed to the south part of Chicago, where they’ll begin a three-game set against the Joliet Slammers.
Gateway will return home next Tuesday, August 8, when they’ll host the first of three games against the Florence Y’alls.