Grizzlies Roar Back for Fifth Straight Win
September 5, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, Ill. - Cody Livesay laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to score the game-winning run and help the Grizzlies come from behind in a 7-5 win over the Lake Erie Crushers on Saturday night at GCS Ballpark.
The Grizzlies (44-50) have now won 14 of their last 17 games. The win clinched Gateway's sixth straight series victory. Meanwhile, the Crushers (38-56) have dropped eight consecutive series to end the season.
Unlike the opening game of this series, game two was a back-and-forth battle throughout. The Crushers struck first with a run in the second inning when Brandon Costantino delivered an RBI single. However, the Grizzlies had an answer for every Lake Erie run.
Blake Brown doubled to start the second, advanced to third on a groundout and came around to score when Grant Buckner grounded out to the second baseman. Juan Sanchez then led the charge to help Lake Erie rattle off three unanswered and retake the lead.
Sanchez singled home a run in the second inning and hit his second home run of the series in the fifth to give Lake Erie a 4-1 lead. Jose Barraza singled right in front of Sanchez and scored on the home run. But as was the case earlier in the game, the Grizzlies answered the Lake Erie rally with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth.
Seth Heck singled with one out and advanced to second when Craig Massoni walked. Ben Waldrip then delivered a big RBI double to score Heck and Massoni eventually scored on a wild pitch to cut the Lake Erie lead to 4-3.
The Crushers tacked on a big insurance run in the eighth inning to extend their lead to 5-3, but the Gateway bats came alive in the bottom half. Brown singled to start things off and Tyler Tewell followed by crushing a pitch over the fence to tie the game 5-5.
The next three batters all reached to load the bases with nobody out for Livesay. Livesay laid down the suicide squeeze to score Buckner to secure the victory. The Grizzlies added an insurance run on a throwing error.
JaVaun West (4-4) picked up the win by closing out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Trevor Longfellow (5-10) picked up the loss.
The Grizzlies and Crushers play Sunday night in the final game of the 2015 season. RHP Trevor Richards (5-6, 3.69) will pitch for Gateway and LHP Brad Zambron (3-7, 4.45) will take the mound for Lake Erie. Sam Levitt and Kevin Schaefer will call the action on the Grizzlies Radio Network, which airs on 101 ESPN's digital platforms and 1400 AM KJFF.
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Frontier League Stories from September 5, 2015
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