Grizzlies Lose Another Game Late, Skid Reaches Five
May 30, 2025 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, ILL. - The Gateway Grizzlies' tough week continued on Friday night, as they lost a lead in the seventh inning, could not bring in the go-ahead run down the stretch despite multiple opportunities to do so, came back with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning to send the game to Sudden Death, but lost in the ending turn at-bat to the Sussex County Miners, suffering their fifth consecutive loss.
The visitors got a double on the first pitch of the game from Lukas Veinbergs, and after a sacrifice bunt, took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Makhi Backstrom. That was the only run the Grizzlies' ace allowed over six solid innings, working around runners on base and keeping the Miners' offense at bay.
In the second inning, Gateway rallied to take their first lead of the home stand. Former Miner Edwin Mateo led off with a double, and scored on the next play when Tanner Garrison reached base on an infield hit that Sussex County shortstop Gionti Turner threw away for an error, tying the game at 1-1. Garrison also went to second base on the miscue, and after a strikeout by Miners starter Mike Reagan, he came home on an RBI infield single by Cole Brannen, making the score 2-1 Gateway.
In the next inning, with two outs, Dale Thomas added to the advantage with an RBI single for a 3-1 Grizzlies lead. But after Veinbergs left the game in the seventh, Gateway's beleaguered bullpen gave up the cushion. Jordan Smith hit a solo homer off Matt Hickey to make it 3-2, and after a one-out single by Dom Johnson, Francis Peguero came in and gave up a single to Hunter D'Amato followed by an RBI groundout by Gabriel Maciel, tying the score at 3-3.
Gateway then blew numerous chances to go back ahead, as they got the potential lead run into scoring position in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings against Reagan and the Sussex County bullpen, allowing the game to go to extra innings. After a scoreless ninth inning, Leoni De La Cruz surrendered a two-run home run to Maciel on the second pitch of the top of the tenth inning with the International Tiebreaker in effect, giving the Miners a 5-3 lead.
Yet again, the Grizzlies showed heart and fight in the bottom half. Down to their final strike, Thomas was hit by a Tyler Luneke pitch, and Mateo came up and made the score 5-4 with an RBI infield single, also down to his final strike. Mark Shallenberger then stepped up huge and tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI single to right field, but with the winning run now in scoring position and two outs, Jose Alvarez could not beat a slow ground ball to first base, sending the game to Sudden Death.
The Grizzlies, as the home team, chose to hit, and with Alvarez on first base to start the inning, Brannen sacrificed him to second base. After Ross Friedrick struck out pinch-hitting off the bench, Sussex County right-hander Billy Parsons then lost the strike zone. After falling behind 2-0 to Gabe Holt, the Miners put him on intentionally, but Victor Castillo kept the rally alive by drawing an unintentional four-pitch walk, loading the bases for D.J. Stewart and putting the winning run at third. On a 2-2 pitch, Stewart hit a sinking line drive to center field, but it was caught on a slide by Alec Sayre, ending the game and giving Gateway their first Sudden Death loss in club history.
With their losing streak now at five games in a row (including four times in a row in their opponent's last turn at-bat or in Sudden Death), Gateway will try and muster up a skid-busting win in the middle game against the Miners on Saturday, May 31. Sam Rochard will pitch for the Grizzlies against Sussex County southpaw Rob Hensey, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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