Key Home Runs Give Grizzlies Series-Opening Win
Published on August 8, 2023 under Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release
SAUGET, IL - The Florence Y'alls, presented by Towne Properties, took an early lead against Gateway but surrendered a go-ahead home run in the second inning and a breathing room home run in the seventh, falling 5-1 Tuesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark.
With the Y'alls leading 1-0, DJ Stewart cracked an opposite field long ball with a runner on base to give Gateway a 2-1 lead in the second inning. The score remained intact until the seventh when Kyle Gaedele launched a solo shot to begin the frame to extend the Grizzlies' advantage to 3-1. Gateway added another run in the seventh and an unearned run in the eighth for the eventual four-run victory.
After a Brian Fuentes RBI double in the first inning to get the Y'alls their only run followed by the Stewart home run in the second, the contest turned into a pitchers' duel. Florence starter, Jake McMahill, put up four consecutive innings spanning the third through the sixth facing only the minimum three batters. Collin Sullivan, meanwhile, scattered three hits over his final five innings of work and did not allow any more runs. A combination of Trevor Tietz, Alec Whaley, and Brian Eichhorn finished off the game for Gateway, while Aaron Rund took care of the final two innings after McMahill started to get hit around in the seventh.
Sullivan earns his Frontier League-leading ninth win of the season, while McMahill drops to 2-5 after allowing four runs in six-plus innings. The Grizzlies are 11-3 in games started by Sullivan this season. Jairus Richards had three hits for Gateway, joined by former Y'all Cole Brannen, Stewart, and Gaedele with a multi-hit game. Craig Massey had two hits for Florence, and Zade Richardson extended his hitting streak to seven games in a row.
Tonight's loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Y'alls and marks the first time the squad has allowed more than three runs in a game since last Tuesday at Evansville. Still, Florence has not given up more than six runs in a game in more than a week.
Florence is winless at Grizzlies Ballpark this season but will try to turn its fortune around tomorrow, Wednesday, August 9, in the middle game of the series. Joey Gonzalez gets the ball for Gateway, opposed by Carter Spivey for Florence. First pitch is at 6:45 PM CDT/7:45 PM EDT.
Frontier League Stories from August 8, 2023
- ThunderBolts Shut Out Evansville in Series Opener - Windy City ThunderBolts
- Grizzlies Pitch Their Way To Win Over Florence - Gateway Grizzlies
- Titans Score Early, Take Down Miners - Ottawa Titans
- Otters Drop Series Opener at Windy City - Evansville Otters
- Key Home Runs Give Grizzlies Series-Opening Win - Florence Y'alls
- Boomers Shut Out In Opener With Joliet - Schaumburg Boomers
- Crushers Snap 10-Game Slide - Lake Erie Crushers
- Opener Literally Bounces Away from Washington - Washington Wild Things
- Kivlehan Powers Boulders to 12-6 Win over ValleyCats - New York Boulders
- ValleyCats Unable to Stop Kivlehan in Six-RBI Day - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Playoff Push Is On - New Jersey Jackals
- 'Cats Set to Clash with Jackals this Weekend at "The Joe" - Tri-City ValleyCats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
