Grizzlies Split Doubleheader with Rascals
June 27, 2019 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
O'FALLON, Mo. - The Gateway Grizzlies split a doubleheader Wednesday night, a 5-2 loss and a 6-2 win, with the River City Rascals at CarShield Field.
After a 5-2 loss in the opening game, the Grizzlies (16-25) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 10-inning victory in the nightcap. In a game originally scheduled for seven inning, the two teams played three innings deep into extra frames: Gateway broke the deadlock with four runs in the top of the 10th inning.
The Grizzlies' bullpen worked six scoreless innings in game. Five relievers - Jason Seever, Geofff Bramblett, Patrick Boyle, Dakota Smith, and Thomas Nicoll - combined to allow only one hit. They struck out 13 - including nine in a row until a groundout to end the game - and walked just one.
Nicoll (1-2) earned the victory with two perfect innings. He struck out the first five batters he faced before inducing a game-ending groundout.
Zak Taylor came in to score the eventual winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th inning. Shawon Dunston Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly to score Christian Funk. Brent Sakurai re-ignited the rally with a single to reach base with two outs. Jamey Smart drove Sakurai home with an RBI double to the wall in left-center field, then Smart scored on an Andrew Daniel RBI single.
Funk tied the game with an RBI single to score Dustin Woodcock when the Grizzlies had been down to their final out in the seventh inning. Matt Brown opened the scoring with a solo home run, his first Grizzlies big fly, in the third inning.
Game two marked Gateway's ninth extra-inning affair already in 2019. Nine of the Grizzlies' 41 games (22 percent) have gone to extra frames - only six of their 96 contests last season required bonus baseball.
Smart had the Grizzlies' only multi-hit performance in the nightcap.
Dustin Woodcock hit in both games of the twinbill and extended his hitting streak to an active team-best five games. Brent Sakurai extended his streak to four games.
Shawon Dunston Jr. posted a multi-hit performance in the first game.
Dominic Topoozian (4-2) took a hard-luck loss in game one. He allowed five runs (only two earned) over five innings. Grant Black worked a scoreless sixth inning in relief.
River City (21-19) scored three unearned runs in the first inning and two earned runs in the second en route to the series-opening victory.
Gateway and River City will decide their three-game series with a 6:35 p.m. CDT rubber match Thursday.
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