Grizzlies rightfielder Jairus Richards leads the Frontier League with 60 stolen bases this season . (Photo courtesy: Gateway Grizzlies)
| Final – Aug. 15, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Washington Wild Things | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | X | 9 | 14 | 3 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON, PA — The Gateway Grizzlies set a new Frontier League single-season stolen base record Tuesday night at Wild Things Park.
Grizzlies third baseman D.J. Stewart swiped second base in the top of the seventh inning, of what proved to be a 9-4 loss to the host Washington Wild Things. That stolen base was Gateway’s 205th of the 2023 season, which broke the previous record of 204 set by the Windy City ThunderBolts in 2021.
Gateway entered the game needing just two steals to match the 2021 Windy City ThunderBolts’ single-season record of 204, and they secured that on a double-steal by league individual leader Jairus Richards and Cole Brannen in the sixth inning, with Richards stealing his 60th base of the year.
Stewart then worked a leadoff walk in the seventh, and with Richards batting, the St. Louis native stole the record-setter uncontested. Brannen then added another to give the visitors four in the game, capping off the night on the basepaths in the eighth inning.
The game itself went south quickly for the Grizzlies, as Washington scored runs in each of their first four turns at bat against Joey Gonzalez (9-7), including five times in the first two innings, to eventually take a 7-0 lead before the Grizzlies got on the board in the fifth against Dariel Fregio (3-2).
In the frame, with two outs, Stewart walked, and Cole Barr hit a home run for the second game in a row for the Grizzlies to make it a 7-2 game. In the next stanza, Richards drew a leadoff walk and went to second on Brannen’s single.
On the aforementioned double-steal, Washington catcher Melvin Novoa’s throw got into the outfield, allowing Richards to score and cut the deficit to 7-3. Mark Vierling then reached on a fielder’s choice and another error by Washington shortstop Carson Clowers, scoring Brannen to cut the margin to 7-4.
But a pair of errors in the sixth and seventh innings (one in each frame) led to two unearned runs for the Wild Things against the Grizzlies’ pitching staff, with the bats unable to stage a comeback against the Washington bullpen as the home team won the series opener.
Still ahead in the West Division standings by 3.0 games over the second-place Schaumburg Boomers, thanks to the latter’s loss on Tuesday night, the Grizzlies will look to even the series on Wednesday.
First pitch at Wild Things Park, with Carson LaRue set to start for Gateway is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.