Strong Pitching Leads Grizzlies to Win
May 18, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, Ill. - The Gateway Grizzlies bounced back on Saturday night at Grizzlies Ballpark with a 4-2 victory over the Windy City ThunderBolts, tying the weekend series at one game apiece.
Gateway was able to take a 1-0 lead immediately in the first inning. Gabe Holt reached on an infield single and Jack-Thomas Wold walked with one out. Two batters later, D.J. Stewart lined an RBI single into the outfield to make it 1-0 on the first of his four hits on the night.
Collin Sullivan took it from there, as the Gateway starter allowed just one baserunner in the first four and two-thirds innings that he pitched, retiring 12 consecutive Windy City batters. In the process, Holt reached on another infield hit in the third inning, with Stewart driving him in once more on an RBI single to make it a 2-0 Gateway lead.
In the fifth, Sullivan issued a two-out walk to Joe Johnson to break up the streak of batters retired, and Christian Kuzemka tied the game at 2-2 with a home run to right-center field. In the next inning, however, the Grizzlies would take the lead for good- Cole Brannen led off against Windy City's Eric Hildebrand (0-1), stole second base, and went to third when the throw from the catcher hit him sliding into second. Jose Alvarez then singled Brannen home for a 3-2 Grizzlies lead.
In the eighth inning, Gateway scored a valuable insurance run to pad their lead. Brannen walked again to lead off the inning, and Abdiel Diaz came up clutch with an RBI double to make the score 4-2 in his season debut with the club. That would be all the Grizzlies needed, as the bullpen of Nate Garkow (1-0), Alec Whaley, Osvaldo Berrios retired all 10 batters they faced to set up Lukas Veinbergs in the ninth, with the Gateway closer notching his third save of the season to seal the win.
The Grizzlies will look to close out the weekend with a series win in the rubber game against the ThunderBolts at Grizzlies Ballpark on Sunday, May 19, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT.
Frontier League Stories from May 18, 2024
- Grizzles Edge WIndy City 4-2 - Windy City ThunderBolts
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- ValleyCats Bats Silenced in Middle Game Defeat - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Wild Things Win Close Game Behind Pitching, McNeely Homer - Washington Wild Things
- Y'alls Swept by Boomers - Florence Y'alls
- Boomers Homer to Series Sweep - Schaumburg Boomers
- Bolts Shock Grizzlies, 16-2 - Windy City ThunderBolts
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