Playoff Magic Number Drops Despite Loss in Florence
Published on August 22, 2025 under Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
FLORENCE, KY. - The Gateway Grizzlies had a 3-0 lead early, and a 5-3 lead in the middle frames, but a costly error on defense allowed a four-run inning to materialize in the bottom of the sixth inning in a 7-5 loss to the Florence Y'alls on Friday night at Thomas More Stadium.
The game started off wonderfully for the Grizzlies, with D.J. Stewart rocketing a two-run double to put them in front 2-0 off Evan Webster (7-4). Gabe Holt followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0. That lead held until the bottom of the third inning, when a leadoff walk turned into a game-tying rally against Zac Treece. With the score tied at 3-3, the veteran would settle into a groove, eventually finishing with a season-high nine strikeouts, and retiring eight batters in a row between the third and fifth innings.
In the meantime, the Grizzlies scored two runs in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Edwin Mateo and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Victor Castillo, giving them a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, however, things went south, as the Y'alls hit two solo home runs around a strikeout to tie the score at 5-5.
After Alec Whaley (3-2) was summoned from the bullpen, he got a ground ball to shortstop, with Abdiel Diaz's throw landing into, then out of the glove of Sawyer Smith for an error. A single and a walk then loaded the bases with still one out in the inning, and Dillon Baker hit a bloop RBI single that just eluded the glove of Gabe Holt in short right-center field to put Florence in front 6-5 on the first pitch he saw. Dalen Thompson then added another run on a first-pitch RBI groundout, making the score 7-5.
The Grizzlies' offense, despite out-hitting Florence 11 to eight in the contest, were unable to make a late rally, suffering their second loss in a row.
Despite the defeat, Mississippi's loss to Washington lowered the Grizzlies' magic number to clinch a spot in the playoffs down to 2, giving Gateway a chance to officially get into the postseason on Saturday, August 23, when they face off against the Y'alls in a doubleheader at Thomas More Stadium. Lukas Veinbergs will get the ball in the first game against Florence veteran Zac Westcott, with the first pitch of the twin-bill scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT.
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