Ninth-Inning Homer Sinks Grizzlies
Published on May 19, 2024 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies lost the rubber game of their weekend series to the Windy City ThunderBolts 2-0 on a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning by Christian Kuzemka, his third homer of the weekend, falling to 4-5 on the season.
The game was 0-0 for the first eight innings. Teague Conrad made his professional debut on the mound, and pitched four scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He was equaled by Windy City's Will Armbruester, who limited the Grizzlies to just three hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings.
Both teams had several chances to break the 0-0 deadlock. In the fifth, Windy City got their first two men on base to chase Conrad, but Matt Hickey was able to strike out two and strand the bases loaded that inning. The ThunderBolts also were issued a pair of two-out walks in the seventh inning by Joel Condreay, but the right-hander also picked up a big strikeout to get out of that jam.
For the Grizzlies, they got their lead off man on base in the seventh inning on a walk around a 41-minute mound delay, and in the eighth inning on an error, but could not score the lead run. In the ninth, Lukas Veinbergs (0-1) issued a one-out walk to nine-hole hitter Wyatt Stapp, and got Cam Phelts out on a sacrifice bunt for the second out of the inning.
That brought up Kuzemka, who capped off a three-hit day and a remarkable, 10-RBI series with a home run to the short porch in right field to make it 2-0. Former Grizzlie Greg Duncan worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for the save, sending the Grizzlies to the frustrating defeat.
Gateway will look to rebound on a six-game road trip that begins on Tuesday, May 21, in Florence against the Y'alls, with first pitch of the series opener in Kentucky set for 5:42 CT.
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