Grizzlies Dominate Finale at Lake Erie
August 20, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Avon, OH - The Gateway Grizzlies scored six times in the top of the third inning with two outs at Mercy Health Stadium on Sunday afternoon, riding the big inning to a 10-2 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers to clinch the weekend series in the rubber game. The win also lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff spot in 2023 down to two, and restored a 2.0 games lead atop the West Division standings with Schaumburg's loss at Windy City.
With Cole Barr on first base and two outs in the top of the third, former Grizzlie Matt Mulhearn (5-6) committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to first base, and with Barr at second, Eric Rivera came up clutch with an RBI single to drive in the game's first run. But Gateway was far from done- after Cole Brannen walked and Mark Vierling loaded the bases on an infield hit, Andrew Penner laced a two-run single into the outfield to make it 3-0.
Kyle Gaedele then followed with a double off the center field wall to make it 5-0, and D.J. Stewart doubled on the very next pitch by Mulhearn to cap the scoring in the frame. Joey Gonzalez (10-7) would give two back on a Josh Rego double in the fourth inning, but the Grizzlies would respond right away in the fifth on a Penner RBI triple and Stewart sacrifice fly, taking a six-run lead once again at 8-2.
Gateway would also add two more runs in the seventh on a Gaedele two-run home run, his eighth of the season in just 24 games to give him four RBIs on the day, to finish off the scoring in the contest. Penner also finished with three RBIs in the game and three runs scored, while Stewart drove in a pair of runs as well. The Grizzlies' bullpen also finished off a strong road trip with four scoreless innings, securing Gateway the series victory.
With a magic number of two to clinch their first playoff spot in the Frontier League since 2012, the Grizzlies return home for 10 of their final 13 regular season games, beginning on Tuesday, August 22, against the Windy City ThunderBolts. First pitch at Grizzlies Ballpark is set for 6:45 p.m. CT.
Frontier League Stories from August 20, 2023
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- Evansville Homer in Ninth Gives Rubber Game to Otters - Washington Wild Things
- ThunderBolts Down Schaumburg on Robinson Hit - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Titans Swept in Doubleheader by Aigles - Ottawa Titans
- Grizzlies Dominate Finale at Lake Erie - Gateway Grizzlies
- Windy City Walks off in Finale - Schaumburg Boomers
- Six-run third haunts Crushers in loss to Gateway - Lake Erie Crushers
- Y'alls Suffer Sweep, Lose Pitchers' Duel - Florence Y'alls
- Boulders Rally to Even Series in Quebec - New York Boulders
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