Beach Bums Fall to Gateway

Published on August 20, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release


SAUGET, Ill. - The Traverse City Beach Bums were unable to hold off the Gateway Grizzlies on Thursday night, falling 9-7 in the final game of the season between the two teams.

The Beach Bums opened the scoring for the third time in the series by plating three runs in the second to take a 3-0 lead. John Alonso led off with an opposite field double down the rightfield line and moved to third on a passed ball. He scored when Andrew Franco reached on an error. Mike Victor padded the lead with his eighth homer of the season, a two-run blast on a 2-2 offering from Nate Melek that soared over the wall in left.

Andrew Franco pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fourth as he homered to right on the first pitch from Melek. The homer was his fourth of the season and came with one away. Gateway was able to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nate Lape led off with a double down the leftfield line and scored when Brandon Peters singled. Charlie Lisk knotted the score with one swing of the bat, connecting on his 24th homer of the season on a 1-2 pitch from Kevin Reese, a three-run shot to left.

Traverse City was able to retake the lead in the top of the sixth. Michael Campbell drew a one-out walk and was along for the ride as John Alonso hit his second homer in as many nights. The homer was his 11th of the season, setting a single season team record.

Gateway was able to put up another crooked number in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five times to take their first lead of the night at 9-7. Joe Agreste drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run and Brandon Johnson put the Grizzlies ahead with a bases loaded double to clear the bases. The scoring was capped when Breck Draper singled.

John Alonso hit his second homer of the night in the eighth inning, a solo blast to right off of Collin Brennan, who got the win in relief for Gateway. Joel Boeschen picked up the save, working around a leadoff single by Brandon McArthur.

Kevin Reese did not factor in the decision, throwing six innings and allowing four runs in eight hits to go with six strikeouts. Jared Locke took the loss. John Alonso and Andrew Franco each finished with three hits in the contest.

The Beach Bums will travel across the river to take on the River City Rascals tomorrow evening in an 8:05 pm contest from O'Fallon, Missouri. RHP Brett Bostelman (7-5, 3.69) takes to the hill for Traverse City while River City will counter with RHP Josh Lowey (6-2, 2.96) as a pair of All-Stars battle. The contest can be heard live on The Fox FM.

Sandbox Bits

John Alonso finished with 11 hits in the series; He was the third player this season to hit more than one homer in a contest joining Mike Victor and Robby Alcombrack to tie for the single game record which has now been done five times; He broke the previous single season record for homers which was 10 set by Aaron Garza in 2007 and equaled by Kyle Maunus in 2008

The four homers in a game matched the single game franchise record for the second time this year

Robby Alcombrack pinch hit for Jorge Araiza in the ninth; Araiza was 0-for-3 in his Beach Bums debut

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Frontier League Stories from August 20, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central