Grizzlies closer Leoni De La Cruz got the final three outs in the team’s win Thursday night at Grizzlies Ballpark. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Frontier League | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Y’alls | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | X | 6 | 8 | 1 |
SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies won their seventh game in a row and clinched a spot in the 2024 Frontier League playoffs Thursday night, thanks to a 6-3 win over the Florence Y’alls at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Gateway became the third team to earn a spot in the playoffs — and also earned the club its second straight postseason appearance — by holding off Florence for a win that allowed the Grizzlies to maintain a 9 1/2 game lead over fourth-place Schaumburg with only nine games left in the season.
The Grizzlies also have a shot at possibly winning the Frontier League West Division, but at six games out with just nine to play, it would take a monumental collapse for the first place Washington Wild Things for that to happen.
But second place and assuring itself a spot in the playoffs seemed just fine with Gateway on Thursday. The Grizzlies trailed early, but rallied to take the lead. Then after Florence tied the game again, Gateway put together another couple of run-scoring rallies to re-take the lead and put the game away.
Left fielder Cole Brannen played a key factor it that. He had two hits, including his seventh home run of the season, and scored what proved to be the game-winning run on an RBI double by catcher Kevin Krause in the bottom of the sixth inning.
That made the score 4-3, then Edwin Mateo walked with the bases loaded and Dale Thomas drilled a sacrifice fly in the eighth that put the Grizzlies up by three.
Closer Leoni De La Cruz pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 13th save and finish out the win. Good friend and Thursday night starter, Alvery De Los Santos was shouting encouragement from the dugout during the entire ninth to help De La Cruz along.
Before that though, De Los Santos was on the mound and playing his own on-the-field part in Gateway’s playoff-clinching night.
The 6-foot-4 righthander from the Dominican Republic pitched six strong innings and only allowed Florence three runs on five hits. He did walk three batters, but he also struck out four as he picked up his third win of the season.
Other Grizzlies standouts on the night included, Victor Castillo, who had a hit and an RBI, Abdiel Diaz, who had a hit, a stolen base, and scored a run, and pitchers Alec Whaley and Matt Hickey, who each tossed a scoreless inning of relief after De Los Santos (3-1) left the game.
With a playoff spot now locked up, and the possibility of winning the division not likely, Gateway’s next task is locking up home-field advantage in the West Division Wild Card Game. The winner of that contest will advance to the West Division Championship Series.
Gateway’s magic number to clinching home field in the Wild Card Game is three, meaning any combination of Grizzlies wins or Crushers losses that total three means that Wild Card Game will be played at Grizzlies Ballpark.
This weekend, Gateway will be on the road for a three-game set at Bosse Field against the Evansville Otters. Friday’s matchup will feature Frontier League Pitcher of the Week, Deylen Miley starting for the Grizzlies, while the Otters will counted with Braden Scott.
First pitch Friday night is set for 6:35 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Innings | Play | V – H |
|---|---|---|
| Florence Y’alls 2nd | C. Massey singled, 2 RBI; E. Johnson advanced to third; D. Davis scored; S. Hrustich scored. | 2 – 0 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 3rd | C. Brannen (7) homered, RBI. | 2 – 1 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 5th | J. Alvarez grounded out to ss, RBI; C. Brannen advanced to third; D. Thomas scored. | 2 – 2 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 5th | V. Castillo grounded out to ss, RBI; C. Brannen scored. | 2 – 3 |
| Florence Y’alls 6th | Z. Richardson homered, RBI. | 3 – 3 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 6th | K. Krause doubled, RBI; P. Zimmerman scored. | 3 – 4 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 8th | E. Mateo walked, RBI; K. Krause advanced to second; P. Zimmerman advanced to third; A. Diaz scored. | 3 – 5 |
| Gateway Grizzlies 8th | D. Thomas flied out to rf, sacrifice fly, RBI; K. Krause advanced to third; P. Zimmerman scored. | 3 – 6 |
UPCOMING GATEWAY GRIZZLIES BASEBALL GAMES
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 23, 2024 (Friday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Evansville Otters | Bosse Field / Evansville, IL |
| August 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Evansville Otters | Bosse Field / Evansville, IL |
| August 25, 2024 (Sunday) | 12:35 pm | Away | Evansville Otters | Bosse Field / Evansville, IL |
| August 27, 2024 (Tuesday) | 5:35 pm | Away | Lake Erie Crushers | Crushers Stadium / Avon, OH |
| August 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:35 pm | Away | Lake Erie Crushers | Crushers Stadium / Avon, OH |
| August 29, 2024 (Thursday) | 5:35 pm | Away | Lake Erie Crushers | Crushers Stadium / Avon, OH |
| August 30, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 31, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| September 1, 2024 (Sunday) | 6:05 pm | Home | Florence Y’alls | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |