Grizzlies Collapse Late, Lose Heartbreaker
Published on July 4, 2025 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, ILL. - The Gateway Grizzlies led 1-0 with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and had the final out in their hands, but a throwing error by Leoni De La Cruz kept the game going, and eventually led to a heartbreaking, 2-1 loss in 10 innings against the Lake Erie Crushers at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
The game was a pitcher's duel deluxe all night long. Anthony Escobar ran his streak of shutout innings to 26 straight with his first six frames on the mound, and Gage Vailes was every bit his equal, turning in the finest outing of his young career by holding the Crushers scoreless through six and two-thirds innings with a career-high eight strikeouts.
In the bottom of the seventh, Abdiel Diaz led off with a single and stole second base before Edwin Mateo walked. After Cole Brannen bunted an 0-2 pitch foul for strike three, Diaz and Mateo stole second and third base, putting an elusive first run just 90 feet away. Escobar struck out Gabe Holt swinging, but he then made his first mistake of the game, tossing a wild pitch that got to the backstop, allowing Diaz to score to make it 1-0 Grizzlies, and finally snapping the scoreless streak against the Lake Erie right-hander at 26 2/3 frames.
The Grizzlies' bullpen then held that lead, as Matt Hickey pitched a flawless eighth, and De La Cruz struck out the first two batters of the ninth. But with the Crushers down to their final strike, Jaidan Quinn hit a slow bouncer in front of the plate that De La Cruz fielded and threw to first base. The throw was in time, but pulled D.J. Stewart barely off the bag, resulting in an error.
De La Cruz then had Davie Morgan down to his final strike, but gave up a single before Burle Dixon broke the hearts of the Grizzlies with a game-tying RBI single to right field. With the score 1-1, Gateway did not get anyone on base in the ninth, and in the tenth inning with the International Tiebreaker in effect, Alfredo Gonzalez laid down a sacrifice bunt that was thrown wild to first base by Francis Peguero (2-3), scoring another unearned run and handing the Crushers a 2-1 lead.
Peguero kept the deficit to a single run, but the Grizzlies could not get the job done in the bottom of the tenth inning, with Michael Brewer getting a pair of strikeouts before Stewart popped out into the Lake Erie bullpen on a ball that evaded the side netting by centimeters, ending the game.
The Grizzlies will look to put the loss behind them quickly in the middle game of the series on Saturday, July 5, at 7:05 p.m. CT at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
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