Grizzlies Come Back to Win Third Straight Game
July 5, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies trailed by a pair of runs going into the sixth inning on Friday night, but rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame, going ahead for good on a two-out RBI single by Peter Zimmermann in what became a 7-4 victory over the Schaumburg Boomers at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Gateway was able to score right away in the first inning against Jackson Hickert (4-2), as newly-minted all-star Abdiel Diaz led off with an infield single, moved to second base on a groundout by fellow all-star Gabe Holt, stole third base, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 Grizzlies. In the second inning, Jack-Thomas Wold crushed a solo home run off the back wall in right field, his seventh of the season, for a 2-0 lead.
In the third inning, Collin Sullivan (5-3) faltered, as Felix Aberouette led off the inning with short porch home run to right field, kicking off a four-run inning for the Boomers to take the lead. Schaumburg amassed five hits in the inning, including an RBI double by Christian Fedko, and a go-ahead two-run single with two outs by Paxton Wallace.
The Grizzlies right-hander would hold the line from there, working around five walks with seven strikeouts, and in the top of the sixth, he stranded a leadoff double on base, setting up a comeback inning in the bottom half. Kevin Krause led off with an infield single, and two batters later, newest Grizzlie Edwin Mateo reached base on a bunt single. Diaz then singled to right field to drive Krause in and make it a 4-3 game, with Mateo advancing to third base on the play.
With Holt at the plate, Diaz broke for second base, and Boomers shortstop Tyler Depreta-Johnson attempted to cut the throw from Aberouette in front of the bag to hold Mateo at third. But the ball got off his glove, and Mateo came home on the double-steal to tie the game at 4-4. Two batters later, Zimmermann came up clutch with the go-ahead RBI single to center field, scoring Diaz to make it 5-4 Gateway.
With Alvery De Los Santos holding the fort in relief of Sullivan in the top of the seventh and eighth, the Grizzlies were able to add on insurance runs on an RBI double by Mateo in the former and a solo home run crushed to left field by Zimmermann in the latter off Jake Joyce on a night where the veteran right-hander set a new Frontier League career record with his 281 st appearance, surpassing Grizzlies pitching coach Nick Kennedy.
That accounted for the final 7-4 score, with Matt Hickey working a scoreless ninth for the save as the Grizzlies won a third straight game for the first time since the end of May, and moved past the Boomers in the West Division standings by 0.5 games by taking the series opener. Four different Grizzlies had multiple-hit games, led by Mateo, who went 3-for-3 in his Grizzlies debut with two stolen bases, a run scored, and an RBI.
The Grizzlies will look to advance their win streak to four games in a row in the middle contest of the weekend series against the Boomers on Saturday, July 6. Teague Conrad will start for the Grizzlies against Schaumburg right-hander Aaron Glickstein, with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. CT at Grizzlies Ballpark.
The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at Grizzlies Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, four West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.
The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2024 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.
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