Grizzlies Lose Late Lead, Get Swept by New York
July 20, 2023 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Pomona, NY - The Gateway Grizzlies found their first lead of the series against the New York Boulders, then expanded it, but could not hold it, as the home team scored five unanswered runs to win 5-3 and sweep the three-game series at Clover Stadium on Thursday night.
Neither Alec Huertas nor Lukas Veinbergs blinked in the first four innings of the game, with Veinbergs allowing just two batters to reach base safely in that span. It was Gateway who finally broke through offensively in the top of the fifth- Noah Fisher led off with his first professional hit, an infield single, and was sacrificed to second base before Jairus Richards hit an RBI single of his own, bringing an end to a nearly 15-inning scoreless drought and putting the Grizzlies ahead 1-0.
Gateway then scored two more runs in the following frame, loading the bases for Abdiel Diaz, who singled to right field to make the score 3-0. But after Veinbergs retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth inning, things went downhill from there- Chris Kwitzer doubled just over the leap of Andrew Penner at the left field wall, and Gabriel Garcia singled him home to make it 3-1. Tucker Nathans then followed with an RBI hit of his own to make it 3-2. After a pitching change, Alec Whaley struck out Pat Kivlehan for the second out of the frame, but walked Thomas Walraven, and gave up a game-tying single to David Vinsky.
With the score 3-3, New York took the lead for good on Joe DeLuca's second go-ahead solo homer of the series, taking Trevor Tietz (1-1) deep to right-center field to make the score 4-3 leading off in the bottom of the seventh. The Boulders would score an additional run that inning for the final margin. Gateway got the tying runs in scoring position with no outs in the eighth, and the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but failed to score to seal the sweep.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back when their road trip continues against the Sussex County Miners on Friday, July 21, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. CT at Skylands Stadium in Augusta Township, New Jersey. Collin Sullivan will start the series opener for Gateway against Jose Ledesma, Jr. of the Miners.
The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at Grizzlies Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, three West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.
The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2023 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.
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