Comeback Comes up Short in Florence
June 28, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies fell behind 10-0 in the first four innings against the Florence Y'alls on Friday night, a deficit that turned out to be just a little too large in what became an 11-7 loss at Thomas More Stadium despite a late surge offensively.
T.J. Reeves opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run off Kaleb Hill (2-1), with Florence adding another run later in the frame on a sacrifice fly by Sergio Gutierrez for a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, though, it would turn into an early blowout, as Hill struggled with command, walking three batters and giving up six runs on a two-run double by Reeves and a Gutierrez grand slam, putting the Y'alls up 8-0.
Hill would surrender two more runs in the fourth while walking two more batters to put Gateway behind 10-0 before the first bright spot of the night arrived on the mound in the person of Joel Condreay. The right-hander threw with a purpose, retiring the first nine batters he faced, and ended up finishing the game with a career-long four-inning appearance, surrendering only one run.
Gateway's offense was stifled by Y'alls starter Reed Smith (4-0) until the sixth inning, when Gabe Holt led off with a walk, and following a single and a wild pitch, he scored on an RBI groundout by D.J. Stewart to make it 10-1. In the seventh inning, Jack-Thomas Wold and Cole Brannen reached base on a single and a walk, respectively, before Abdiel Diaz slammed a three-run home run deep to right field, clearing the Florence bullpen on the fly and drawing the Grizzlies within 10-4 at stretch time.
The Grizzlies would keep up the pressure on reliever Joe Kemlage in the last two innings as well, as after stranding runners on second and third base in the eighth, they got Brannen and Diaz aboard in the ninth before Peter Zimmermann cranked a three-run bomb to left-center field to make the score 11-7. But that is as close as the Grizzlies would get in dropping the first game of their short road trip.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back and even the series in the middle game on Saturday, June 29, at 5:36 p.m. CT, with Collin Sullivan on the mound against Florence right-hander Blake Loubier at Thomas More Stadium.
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