Grizzlies Bounce ValleyCats in Series Finale
June 12, 2025 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
TROY, NY. - The Gateway Grizzlies were down 5-3 against the Tri-City ValleyCats heading into the seventh inning on Thursday night, but scored one run in the seventh and six runs in the top of the eighth to snatch a 10-5 win, avoiding the sweep with their first-ever win in six tries at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Things could not have started much better for the Grizzlies in the game, as Gabe Holt swung at Easton Klein's first pitch and deposited it over the right field wall for a solo home run and a quick 1-0 Grizzlies lead. Later in the inning with two outs and a man on second base, Dale Thomas took Klein out to left field for a two-run homer to make it 3-0 Gateway.
Tri-City would respond right away, however, scoring two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning to slice the deficit to 3-2 on RBI singles by Jake Reinisch and Ian Walters. There the score stayed for several innings as both Klein and Gage Vailes settled into grooves, but the ValleyCats eventually tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning at 3-3.
Tri-City then got their first three men on base to chase Vailes in the bottom of the sixth, and plated two runs in the frame to go ahead 5-3 on two more RBIs by Reinisch and Walters. But it was Gateway's turn to respond right away, with Corbin Shaw's sacrifice fly making the score 5-4. While the Grizzlies were unable to bring in the tying run in that inning after loading the bases, things would change dramatically in the top of the eighth.
Duke Brotherton (0-2) came on to pitch, and struggled with his command, throwing just one strike to the first three batters he faced combined to walk the bases loaded. Thomas then came up and tied the score with an RBI single to right-center field, knocking in his career-high third run of the contest, and Mark Shallenberger followed with the eventual game-winning hit, a clean RBI single to right field for a 6-5 Gateway lead. Edwin Mateo kept the scoring going with an RBI single of his own, and after a balk by Liu Fuenmayor with the bases still loaded made the score 8-5, two batters later, Holt reached base on an RBI fielder's choice, followed by a Jose Alvarez RBI single that completed the big six-run frame and made it a 10-5 contest. It marked the 11th time in 2025 that the Grizzlies plated five or more runs in an inning.
Francis Peguero and Keegan Collett finished off the game by recording back-to-back scoreless innings as the Grizzlies improved to 5-4 on their long road trip, which will continue on Friday night, June 13, when Gateway opens up a weekend series against the New York Boulders. First pitch at Clover Stadium in Pomona, New York is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.
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