Grizzlies Drop Regular Season Finale, Gear up for Playoffs
Published on August 31, 2025 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, ILL. - The Gateway Grizzlies had a 4-2 lead after five innings on Sunday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, but a quartet of position players pitching could not stem the tide of late offense from the Evansville Otters in a 12-4 loss on the "Greatest Night in Baseball," concluding the regular season with a 56-40 record in front of a season-best crowd of 6,122 fans.
Entering the game with pitchers in the final five spots in the batting order, it was Gateway's top of the lineup that got them going right away in the bottom of the first inning- Matthew Lee walked and Sawyer Smith singled before Mark Shallenberger walked loaded the bases against Otters starter Alex Canney. Dale Thomas then lined a two-run double to right-center field to put the Grizzlies up 2-0.
Xander Lovin was sharp on the mound as well, but would surrender single runs in the third and fifth to tie the game at 2-2 on an RBI single by Graham Brown and a solo home run by Dennis Pierce, respectively. The Grizzlies responded right away thanks to a pair of solo home runs off the bats of Shallenberger and pitcher-turned-infielder Matt Hickey, with the latter's first professional home run making the score 4-2 Gateway.
The Otters would not be denied, however, as after Lovin departed, the Grizzlies used nothing but position players on the mound to finish the game. Abdiel Diaz struck out a batter in his first pro inning of work, but gave up a run to make it 4-3, and Jose Alvarez (0-1) surrendered three runs in the seventh to put Evansville up 6-4. The visitors then scored five times with two outs against Edwin Mateo in the eighth to go up 11-4, and capped the scoring in the game with another run in the ninth against D.J. Stewart.
Having secured the #3 seed in the Midwest Conference thanks to their efforts on the field this summer, the Grizzlies will focus their attention on the playoffs when they host the #2 seed and Central Division champion Washington Wild Things, kicking off the best-of-three series on Wednesday, September 3, at Arsenal BG Ballpark. First pitch between the two clubs, who split six regular season meetings down the middle at 3-3, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
ALL tickets for ALL home playoff games in 2025 are priced at just $5. Call the box office at (618) 337-3000 or go online to GatewayGrizzlies.com to secure your seats to cheer on the Grizzlies as they embark on a quest for their second Frontier League championship in their third straight postseason appearance!
Frontier League Stories from August 31, 2025
- Otters Finish 2025 with a Win over Grizzlies - Evansville Otters
- Crushers Drop 2025 Finale, Begin Playoffs Wednesday against Boomers - Lake Erie Crushers
- Grizzlies Drop Regular Season Finale, Gear up for Playoffs - Gateway Grizzlies
- Crushers Presenting Special Playoff Ticket Offer - Lake Erie Crushers
- Boulders Wrap Regular Season with Win, Head to Playoffs Red Hot - New York Boulders
- Bird Dawgs Finish Inaugural Year with 7-6 Victory - Down East Bird Dawgs
- Bolts Lose in a Heartbreaker to End 2025 Season - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Boomers Conclude Regular Season with Walk-Off Defeat - Schaumburg Boomers
- Titans End 2025 Victorious - Ottawa Titans
- Mud Monsters Mount Monster Comeback - Mississippi Mud Monsters
- Hunter Walks off Schaumburg in Season Finale - Florence Y'alls
- 'Cats Snap Seven-Game Win Streak - Tri-City ValleyCats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
