Monster Comeback Falls Just Short for Grizzlies
May 29, 2025 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
SAUGET, ILL. - The Gateway Grizzlies made a stunning, unbelievable comeback on Wednesday night against the Florence Y'alls, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally all the way back and force extra frames, but ultimately lost their fourth game in a row by a final score of 11-10 in 10 innings at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
Yet again the starting pitching matchup of Alvery De Los Santos and Jonaiker Villalobos kept things low-scoring early. The Y'alls used an error by Ross Friedrick at first base to score in the top of the second, and Hank Zeisler's second homer of the series in the fifth inning doubled that lead to 2-0 before the Grizzlies answered back on a Dale Thomas solo home run down the right field line in the bottom of the fifth.
With the score 2-1 after five innings, however, Gateway's bullpen faltered, as Donovan Burke was charged with three runs in the sixth inning to make the score 5-1. After a D.J. Stewart solo shot to right-center got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, Florence added to their lead with two-out, two-run homers in the seventh and the eighth off Zac Treece, carrying a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
With one out against Florence reliever Pedro Alfonseca, Cole Brannen drew a walk to start the rally, and Tate Wargo pinch hit for Friedrick and singled Brannen to third base. Thomas then hit a ground ball to third baseman Armani Smith that could have ended the game, but Smith threw high to second base for an error, scoring Brannen and making the score 9-3. Edwin Mateo then singled to load the bases for Gabe Holt, who drew a walk to force in a run and make it 9-4. Victor Castillo followed by clearing the bases with a double off the left field fence, and all of a sudden, Gateway brought the tying run up to the plate.
It did not end there. Stewart followed Castillo by hitting an RBI double of his own, and with the score 9-8 and the tying run in scoring position, Jose Alvarez knocked an RBI single into center field to pull the Grizzlies even at 9-9 in front of the stunned crowd in Sauget.
But after a pitching change and a hit batter put the winning run in scoring position with one out, the Grizzlies were unable to score any more runs, sending the game to extra innings, where Florence used an infield single from Zeisler and a sacrifice drag bunt by Craig Massey to plate the automatic runner from second base in the International Tiebreaker, retaking the lead at 10-9. Two wild pitches by Leoni De La Cruz (1-1) then brought Zeisler in to score for an 11-9 Florence advantage.
In the bottom of the tenth, Mateo scored Wargo from second base with one out with an RBI single to make it 11-10, and Holt walked to put the tying and winning runs on base. But Castillo lined out to a diving Hector Nieves at shortstop, and Stewart flew out to left field to leave the Grizzlies one run short on the scoreboard and dropping them to 1-3 in extra innings in 2025.
Having also now dropped their second series in a row by losing the first two games against the Y'alls this week, Gateway will look to ride the late-game momentum into the series finale on Thursday, May 29. Lukas Veinbergs will pitch for Gateway against Florence's Eli Majick, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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