Grizzlies Explode Late to Take Series in Schaumburg
Published on June 9, 2022 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Schaumburg, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies had just one run on two hits and were down 5-1 against the Schaumburg Boomers on Thursday night, but used a five-run sixth inning to take the lead for good, then batted around to score seven runs in the eighth to run away with a 14-5 victory at Wintrust Field in Schaumburg, taking the road series two games to one.
The game began as a pitcher's duel between Sam Gardner (2-1) and Shumpei Yoshikawa (2-2), with both starters allowing a two-out run in the third inning. Andrew Penner's single in the top half got Gateway the lead at 1-0, but Thomas DeBonville's double off the glove of Isaac Benard in right field equalized the score at 1-1. The Boomers would then take the lead with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth, with Alec Craig clearing the bases with a three-run triple and DeBonville adding an RBI single to make it 5-1 Schaumburg.
Then the Grizzlies came all the way back. Abdiel Diaz led off the sixth with an infield single, and Penner walked before Benard crushed an RBI double to right field to make it a 5-2 game. Trevor Achenbach then hit a sacrifice fly to right-center field to plate another run and make it 5-3, and after Peter Zimmermann singled to put the tying run on base, Clint Freeman hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to put the Grizzlies back in front 6-5.
The Boomers would get the tying run into scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but Gateway's bullpen held the advantage, and the Grizzlies' offense would explode in the top of the eighth to seal the win. Achenbach led off with a double, and scored thanks to two wild pitches by Schaumburg's Michael Slaten to make it 7-5. Slaten then issued three walks in a row to load the bases, and after a pitching change, Jay Prather hit a grand slam home run to right field for an 11-5 lead.
Gateway wasn't done there. With Penner on base and two outs later in the inning, Benard came up and hit a two-run home run to left-center field for a 13-5 advantage, capping the monster inning. An RBI single by Alex Hernandez added another run in the ninth to complete the scoring as the Grizzlies left Schaumburg with a series win for the first time since 2015.
Six Grizzlies had multi-hit games on the night, with Benard, Freeman, and Prather all driving in three or more runs. The 14 runs and 14 hits by the club were both the second-most that Gateway has put up offensively in a game this season.
Gateway will continue their road trip this weekend in Evansville against the Otters, opening up a three-game series on Friday, June 10, at 6:35 p.m. Carson LaRue will make his Gateway debut on the mound in the series opener at Bosse Field.
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