Grizzlies Take Down Boomers to Win Weekend Series
July 21, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Schaumburg, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies trailed early against the Schaumburg Boomers on Sunday afternoon, but Collin Sullivan (6-4) settled down for a "quality start," and the offense woke up in a big way with a six-run sixth inning to take the lead for good in a 7-3 victory at Wintrust Field, clinching the weekend series win on the road.
Schaumburg struck first with a pair of hits and runs in the first inning against Sullivan, with Anthony Calarco's two-out RBI single plating one run, and a second run scoring on the same play when Edwin Mateo 's throw to third base got away for an error, giving the home team a 2-0 lead.
But Sullivan would allow just three Boomers to reach base for the remainder of his outing, as the right-hander pitched into the seventh while allowing only three hits and four walks, striking out five to keep Gateway in the game. After the Grizzlies were stifled offensively again by reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Year Cole Cook (3-3) for the first four innings, they got on the board with an RBI groundout by Jose Alvarez in the top of the fifth inning, making the score 2-1.
In the sixth inning, the Grizzlies would have one of their biggest offensive innings of the season. Mateo walked with one out, and Peter Zimmermann followed with an opposite-field, go-ahead, two-run home run, his team-leading 13 th of the season, to put Gateway ahead 3-2. But the Grizzlies were not done there- after a groundout for the second out of the inning, D.J. Stewart walked, Cole Brannen singled, and Kyle Gaedele was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Alvarez again. The Gateway catcher capped off an incredible, eight-RBI weekend by clearing the bases with an opposite field double down the right field line, giving the Grizzlies a 6-2 lead.
Abdiel Diaz would double home Alvarez after a pitching change to make the score 7-2, and Sullivan and the Grizzlies' bullpen would hold the line from there. The Boomers would score again on a two-out double, stolen base, and wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth, making the score 7-3, but would get no closer as the Grizzlies emerged victorious in the rubber game of the weekend series.
Gateway will next spend the off day in Chicagoland before taking on the Joliet Slammers on Tuesday, July 23, beginning a three-game midweek series at Slammers Stadium at 6:35 p.m. CT
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, four 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 2024 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.
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