May 19, 2017 - Frontier League (FL) - Gateway Grizzlies

News Release

NORMAL, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies (1-5) got a quality start from Vince Molesky on Thursday night to split a doubleheader with the Normal Cornbelters (3-3) and pick up their first win of the season, 8-4.

Molesky threw six innings, allowing only three earned runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking just one.

Grizzlies pitching coach Richard Barrett credited Molesky with finishing off Normal hitters when he needed to.

"It's a big thing when you can go 0-2, 1-2, or 2-2 and bury a guy," Barrett said. "He lived at the knees with the fastball and, when he had to go to the breaking ball, he did his job."

His offense provided plenty of help in the early going of the second game, scoring seven times over the first three innings - including five runs in the second.

Josh Bunselmeyer led off the frame with a triple, then scored on a Lou Iannotti single. Evan Rogers, Craig Massoni, and Blake Brown added hits in the inning, and Gateway got a boost from a Normal error. Cody Livesay drove in a run on a groundout and Terry McClure scored a run.

Eight of the Grizzlies' nine starters had at least one hit in game two.

"[Our hitters] saw the ball well, attacked the zone well, and that's what got us the runs," Barrett said.

Colin Kelly threw a scoreless inning of relief.

The Grizzlies dropped game one, 7-0, but bounced right back in the nightcap.

Barrett wants to see more of the same moving forward.

"We had each others' backs and we battled," Barrett said.

Up next, the Grizzlies head to Evansville for a three-game series against the Otters over the weekend. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and fans can hear the game on the Grizzlies Media Network.

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