Grizzlies third baseman Mark Vierling launches what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly in Wednesday’s 5-3 win over the Florence Y’alls at Grizzlies Ballpark. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Y’alls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 5 | 6 | 1 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
SAUGET, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally from behind and pick up a 5-2 victory, Wednesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark, to finish off a three-game sweep of the visiting Florence Y’alls.
Gateway got an RBI single by Andrew Penner to tie the game at three, then took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Mark Vierling. Penner scored from third on the play and was followed by teammate Peter Zimmermann, who was able to score from second on a throwing error by the Y’alls.
The win was Gateway’s fourth in a row and fifth in its last six games. The Grizzlies improved their overall record to 29-16 and maintained their 1 1/2 game lead over the Schaumburg Boomers for first place in the Frontier League West Division standings.
Starting pitcher Nathanial Tate, who was making his first start in the Frontier League, had a pretty good night.
The 23-year old rookie from McMinnville, Tenn., and East Tennessee State University, pitched 5 2/3 quality innings and gave up just three runs on seven hits.
He left the game with runners on in the top of the sixth, but teammate Alec Whaley got the final out to get the Grizzlies out of a jam.
Whaley then got the first two outs of the seventh inning, before leaving the game in favor of fellow relievers Nate Garkow and Colton Easterwood.
Garkow (4-1), who was the pitcher of record when Gateway took the lead, earned the win, after getting out all four batters he faced, including Florence slugger Zade Richardson who had homered for the Y’alls earlier in the game.
Easterwood picked up the save — his eighth of the year — after getting all three outs in the ninth on strikeouts.
On offense, the Grizzlie hitters that stood out most were Jairus Richards, who had two hits and scored the game-tying run on Penner’s eighth inning single, and D.J. Stewart, who bashed a two-run home run that tied the score at 2, in the bottom of the second.
Gateway will now head out on the road this weekend, for the final three games of the first half of the season. The Grizzlies will play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday against the Joliet Slammers.
The all-star break will follow, with the Grizzlies then returning home next weekend for a three-game set against the Empire State Greys.