Grizzlies Drop Opener in Extra Innings
Published on June 18, 2019 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
AVON, Ohio - Matt Brown's first Gateway Grizzlies hit tied the game in the ninth inning, but an 11th-inning hit batsman cost the Grizzlies in a 3-2 loss Tuesday night to the Lake Erie Crushers at Sprenger Stadium.
Gateway (14-20) lost its fifth straight. Tuesday also marked the Grizzlies' fifth straight extra-inning loss, and they fell to 2-6 in extra frames this season. Gateway has played eight extra-inning games out of 34 total contests (23.5 percent) thus far in 2019 after only six all of last year.
Lake Erie (17-15) moved into first place alone in the East Division.
After the Crushers scored a run in the first inning, Gunnar Buhner launched his first Grizzlies home run over the left-field wall to tie the score in the second. The Grizzlies hit 19 home runs in 19 games in May, but have only four in 15 June games.
Thomas Nicoll (0-2), forced into an unexpected spot start 15 minutes before game time after Cody Luther was unable to make his scheduled start, allowed only two runs over six innings and struck out seven. Nicoll has worked three quality starts (out of four total starts) but does not have a win.
Gateway has received three straight quality starts but lost all three games. After a 26-12 record with a quality start in 2018, the Grizzlies are 6-8 with one this year.
Ian Kahaloa, Jason Seever, Geoff Bramblett, and Dakota Smith worked a scoreless inning apiece to push the Grizzlies to the 11th inning. Patrick Boyle allowed an unearned run to take the loss. With the bases loaded and two outs, Boyle hit John Cable with a pitch to end the game.
Gateway has scored eight runs total over its last five games and hasn't scored more than two runs in any of them.
Brown added two walks to go with the aforementioned ninth-inning RBI single in his Grizzlies debut. The St. Louis native and Vianney graduate started the season on the injured reserve after the Grizzlies acquired him in a trade with the Windy City ThunderBolts this offseason.
Gateway and Lake Erie will meet again in game two of their three-game series at 6:05 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
Frontier League Stories from June 18, 2019
- Ryan Goes "Long" as the Otters Win 5-4 - Evansville Otters
- Miners Win Sixth Straight Game, Beat Windy City - Southern Illinois Miners
- Freedom Shutout in Opener with Rascals - Florence Y'alls
- Grizzlies Drop Opener in Extra Innings - Gateway Grizzlies
- Boomers End up on Short End of Pitcher's Duel - Schaumburg Boomers
- Rascals Blank Freedom in Opener - River City Rascals
- Crusher pitching shines in 3-2 victory in 11 innings - Lake Erie Crushers
- 7th Inning Home Run Dooms Wild Things in Series Opener - Washington Wild Things
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