Grizzlies Dealt Heartbreaking Loss In Schaumburg
Mistakes late burn Gateway in opener of critical series
Scaumburg, IL (August 24, 2023) – The Gateway Grizzlies came back from an early deficit to take a 6-4 lead in the sixth inning against the Schaumburg Boomers, but made too many mistakes late, and were unable to hold it in a 7-6 loss at Wintrust Field on Friday night.
Clint Freeman got the night started with a two-out, RBI double off Antonio Frias in the top of the first inning to put the Grizzlies ahead 1-0, but Schaumburg responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI single by Chase Dawson, tying the score. The Boomers then strung together three softly hit, two-out singles in the bottom of the second inning to score three times off Collin Sullivan and take a 4-1 advantage.
The Grizzlies would respond the following inning, getting within 4-3 on Andrew Penner's two-run single with the bases loaded. But the tying run was thrown out on the basepaths in the frame, one of several key mistakes that would come back to cost the Grizzlies in the contest.
The 4-3 score held up until the sixth inning, when Gateway took advantage of a big Boomers mistake. After loading the bases with no outs, but failing to score in the fifth, D.J. Stewart led off the frame with a single and Mark Vierling was hit by a pitch. Alex Hernandez then laid down a sacrifice that Frias threw away to first base, scoring both Stewart and Vierling to put the Grizzlies up 5-4. Jairus Richards then singled Hernandez to third base, and after he was also thrown out on the basepaths, Eric Rivera doubled down the right field line to make the score 6-4.
But in a series of unfortunate events in the bottom of the sixth, the lead would not hold. Brett Milazzo reached on an infield hit to shortstop to lead off against Alec Whaley, with the throw pulling the first baseman off the bag. Milazzo then stole second base on a close call, and Alec Craig singled him home to make it 6-5. Whaley then got ahead of Travis Holt 1-2 before hitting him with a pitch, forcing the tying run into scoring position. Nate Garkow (7-2) came on to pitch to Gaige Howard, and got a ground ball to second base to start a potential inning-ending double play.
But after recording the first out at second base, Vierling's throw was low to first base and got away for an error, allowing Craig to come home with the tying run. Then, in the seventh inning, Kyle Fitzgerald then hit a solo home run to put Schaumburg up 7-6, and the Grizzlies were unable to muster any late offense, dropping the series opener.
With their lead now 2.0 games over the Boomers atop the West Division, the Grizzlies will look to bounce back in the middle game of the weekend series at Wintrust Field, with Joey Gonzalez starting the game on the mound for Gateway.
The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at Grizzlies Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, three West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.
The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2023 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.