Grizzlies Break out, Snap Skid with Win over Crushers
Published on May 22, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, ILL. - The Gateway Grizzlies ended their four-game losing streak at Arsenal BG Ballpark on Friday night by clubbing four home runs, including two by catcher Otto Jones, beating the Lake Erie Crushers in come-from-behind fashion 11-10.
Xander Lovin got the Grizzlies off on the right foot from the mound, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his second start of the season. That set the scene for Cole Brannen's second home run of the season, a solo shot to put Gateway up 1-0 in the bottom of the second. After Lake Erie tied the game with a double in the top of the third, the Grizzlies came right back with two more runs in the bottom half on a Mark Shallenberger homer to left field.
The 3-1 lead did not last long, however as Jarrod Watkins hit a grand slam into the right field corner in the fourth inning to make it 5-3 Lake Erie. Jacob Tobias would also go deep in the fifth off Claudio Galva (2-0), resulting in a 7-3 Crushers lead halfway through the game.
But Gateway would not go gently into that good night, exploding for a season-high six runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI hits by Dale Thomas and Brannen, as well as a go-ahead, two-run homer by Jones, with his first long ball of the season putting the Grizzlies ahead 9-7. With Galva holding the fort, Jones came up again in the seventh inning, and launched a no-doubt, 412-foot blast over the left field fence, making the score 11-7 and giving the backstop a career-high four RBIs.
Lake Erie would plate a run in the eighth off Galva, who finished his outing with six strikeouts, and would also rally in the ninth inning for two runs on three hits before an out was recorded, making the score 11-10 and putting the tying run on first base in the process.
But Matt Hickey would half the comeback attempt there, getting a huge double play followed by a harmless flyout to left field to end the game, and delivering the Grizzlies a much-needed win to end their four-game slide while also halting the Crushers' four-game win streak.
Gateway will now try to win two in a row on Saturday night, sending Alec Sparks to the mound to face Lake Erie's Nathan Shinn in the middle game of the holiday weekend series. First pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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