Grizzlies Win Dramatic Middle Game Over Windy City
Published on July 26, 2023 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, IL - The Gateway Grizzlies came back from an early 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead into the ninth, watched the Windy City ThunderBolts take the lead back on a two-out, two-run home run in the top half, but then walked it off in the bottom half on a home run by Peter Zimmermann in a 7-6 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Windy City got on the board first thanks to back-to-back solo home runs off Lukas Veinbergs in the top of the third inning by Paul Coumoulos and Junior Martina, then doubled the lad to 4-0 on two-out RBI hits by Matt Morgan and Coumoulos again. The Grizzlies were able to get on the board in the bottom of that same inning when a pickoff throw by Windy City starter Logan Schmitt got away for an error at first base, scoring Zimmermann from third and making the score 4-1.
Gateway then tied the score in the bottom of the fifth, as after Jairus Richards walked, then Eric Rivera was hit by a pitch, they both stole a base before Clint Freeman cut the deficit to 4-2 on an RBI single. Zimmermann followed with an RBI single of his own to make it a 4-3 game, and two batters later, Kyle Gaedele tied the game at 4-4 on another RBI hit, his first of the series.
In the seventh inning, the Grizzlies then scratched across the go-ahead run with two outs, with Andrew Penner singling, stealing second, going to third on an error by Morgan, then scoring on yet another RBI single by Gaedele to make it 5-4. That lead held until the ninth, when with two outs and a man at second base, Carson Matthews hit a go-ahead, two-run home run off the glove of Richards at the right-center field fence against Josh Lucas (2-2), giving the ThunderBolts a 6-5 lead.
But in the bottom half, Freeman singled against Daiveyon Whittle (2-4), and Zimmermann followed with his 18th home run of the season, a walk-off, two-run blast to left field that gave the Grizzlies the incredible victory. The Gateway all-star finished a triple away from the cycle, going 4-for-5 in the contest with three RBIs to lead the club to the series-clinching win.
Gateway will now go for the three-game sweep against the ThunderBolts in the series finale on Thursday, July 27, at 6:45 p.m. CT in what will be a battle of all-star right-handers on the mound between Windy City's Garrett Christman and the Grizzlies' Collin Sullivan at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Frontier League Stories from July 26, 2023
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