Cole Brannen had a hit and scored a run in Gateway’s first win over Joliet on Wednesday. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
After having their series opener suspended in the fourth inning due to rain, the Gateway Grizzlies and Joliet Slammers finished the game on Wednesday and then also played their regularly scheduled game as part of a psuedo-doubleheader on Wednesday.
And Wednesday proved to be a much better day for the Grizzlies as they won both games at Duly Health and Care Field. Game 1 was a 5-1 victory and Game 2 was a tight-knit 3-1 win.
Outstanding pitching was the difference for Gateway, as it got 5 1/3 strong innings from Alvery De Los Santos and Matt Hickey in Game 1 and then six more dominant innings from Tyler Cornett in Game 2. Closer Leoni De La Cruz pitched a scoreless final inning to get the save in Game 2.
| Final – Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Joliet Slammers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
When the Tuesday contest resumed in a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fourth, the Grizzlies got to Zach Grace (0-2) right away in the top of the fifth inning.
Cole Brannen singled and stole second base leading off the inning, and Tate Wargo reached first base on a bunt single, with Grace throwing the ball away to first for an error that scored Brannen and made it 1-0. Jose Alvarez then extended his hit streak to nine games in a row with an RBI single that made the score 2-0.
De Los Santos (1-1) would hold that lead, tossing 3 1/3 innings to begin the day for Gateway. He surrendered six singles in the game, four of which came in consecutive at-bats for the Slammers in the bottom of the sixth, but just one run, as on Brandon Heidal’s RBI single that got Joliet on the board in that inning, Brannen threw out Jeissy De La Cruz trying to score the tying run.
Gateway would add on late in the game, as with two outs in the top of the seventh, Edwin Mateo bunted his way on base, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Peter Zimmermann to make the score 3-1.
The Grizzlies would score two more times in the eighth inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Alvarez (giving him 10 RBIs on the road trip) and Abdiel Diaz for the final 5-1 margin, with Hickey finishing the series opener by firing two scoreless frames out of the bullpen.
| Final – Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Grizzlies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Joliet Slammers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
In the second game, the Grizzlies went to work right away against Westcott, getting three singles off the veteran right-hander, including an RBI hit by D.J. Stewart to take a 1-0 lead.
Like Gateway did in the first game, however, a second run was cut down at the plate by the Slammers’ Chris Davis, and in the bottom of the inning, Cornett walked Liam McArthur leading off the frame, and he scored the tying run on an RBI single by Antonio Valdez, tying the game at one.
Both starters would then settle into a groove. With the lead run in scoring position, Cornett struck out Jonathan Sierra and De La Cruz looking to preserve the tie, then retired the next nine Joliet batters he faced.
Westcott also began mowing down Grizzlies batters, and after Cornett worked around another leadoff walk for a scoreless fifth inning, Gateway would break the tie in the top of the sixth of the seven-inning contest.
2024 has been quite a turnaround for Cornett. Last year, as a rookie out of West Texas A&M, Cornett only appeared as a reliever for the Trois-Rivières Aigles and had an 8.16 ERA and a 3-2 record. This season, he has made eight starts for the Grizzlies and has a 5-1 record and a 3.32 ERA.
With one out, Zimmermann singled, and David Maberry was hit in the hand by a pitch. Initially, it was ruled the ball hit Maberry’s bat, but the call was overturned in an umpire conference. Stewart moved the runners to second and third base with a ground ball to the mound, and Westcott then uncorked a wild pitch, scoring the go-ahead run and making it 2-1 Grizzlies.
Mateo then ambushed Westcott’s first pitch of the seventh inning for a solo home run — his first of the season — to give Gateway a 3-1 lead. De La Cruz took over on the mound in bottom of the seventh.
The southpaw closer issued a two-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but struck out McArthur swinging to end the game and pick up his fifth save of the season.
Gateway will now look to sweep the midweek series from the Slammers in the series finale on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Ace starter Deylen Miley will get the call for the Grizzlies, while Joliet is expected to start veteran right-hander Geno Encina.
Gateway Grizzlies media information contributed to this story.
UPCOMING GATEWAY GRIZZLIES BASEBALL GAMES
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 25, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:35 pm | Away | Joliet Slammers | Duly Health and Care Field / Joliet, IL |
| July 26, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Schaumburg Boomers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| July 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:30 pm | Home | Schaumburg Boomers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| July 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 5:30 pm | Home | Schaumburg Boomers | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| July 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 pm | Home | New Jersey Jackals | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| July 31, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6:30 pm | Home | New Jersey Jackals | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |
| August 1, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 pm | Home | New Jersey Jackals | Grizzlies Ballpark / Sauget, IL |