Grizzlies Take Series with 6-3 Win
July 4, 2019 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies rattled off six runs from the third through sixth innings in a smooth 6-3 victory Thursday to earn a series win over the Evansville Otters at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
Gateway (19-29) has won three of its last four games. The series win was the Grizzlies' first since back-to-back wins June 11 and 12 over River City.
After the Grizzlies fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, they responded to take the lead on Luis Román's two-out, two-run single in the third. Zak Taylor added to the Grizzlies' advantage with an RBI single to score Andrew Daniel in the fourth inning, then Taylor scored on a Shawon Dunston Jr. RBI single two batters later.
Evansville (27-20) has dropped three of its last four games.
Dustin Woodcock homered for the second time in the Grizzlies' three-game series against the Otters to extend Gateway's lead to 5-2 in the fifth before Dunston Jr. manufactured the Grizzlies' final run of the night in the sixth. After a two-out single, Dunston Jr. stole second and third, then scored on Otters catcher Mike Rizzitello's errant throw to third base that escaped up the left-field line.
Dunston Jr. stole three bases Thursday to extend his total for the season to a league-leading 22 steals on 24 attempts (91.7 percent). He also had the Grizzlies' only multi-hit game with a pair of singles.
Geoff Bramblett struck out three and locked down a perfect four-out save in his first save opportunity of the season.
Grant Black (1-4) earned his first win of the year with 1 1/3 perfect innings of relief. He finished the fifth inning after Grizzlies starter Jordan Barrett reached 114 pitches over 4 2/3 innings. Barrett allowed two runs (only one earned) and struck out four.
The Grizzlies will open a three-game series in Marion, Ill., against the Southern Illinois Miners with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch Friday before the All-Star Break begins Monday. Gateway trails Southern Illinois by 7 1/2 games for the Frontier League's final wild-card playoff spot.
Frontier League Stories from July 4, 2019
- Grizzlies Take Series with 6-3 Win - Gateway Grizzlies
- Crushers fall in 12 - Lake Erie Crushers
- Rascals Fall in Finale - River City Rascals
- Slammers Score Early, Beat Rascals 3-1 - Joliet Slammers
- Miners Dropped by Freedom in Series Finale - Southern Illinois Miners
- Wild Things, Crushers Play 12, Washington Comes Away with Win - Washington Wild Things
- ThunderBolts Knocked out Early in Loss at Schaumburg - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Early Fireworks Send Boomers to Series Win - Schaumburg Boomers
- Bryant Flete Signed by Reds - Southern Illinois Miners
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