Comeback Comes Up Just Short In Road Finale
Gateway drops close series in Schaumburg, still leads West Division by 2.0 games
Schaumburg, IL (August 27, 2023) – For the third time in as many games, the Gateway Grizzlies and Schaumburg Boomers played a contest decided by a single run, and the home team survived a late comeback attempt for a 3-2 result at Wintrust Field on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Grizzlies' lead in the West Division standings back to 2.0 games with seven remaining in the regular season.
For the third game in a row, Schaumburg scored in the bottom of the first, with back-to-back singles setting up Gaige Howard, who struck out against Carson LaRue (5-7), but reached on a wild pitch that brought in Chase Dawson and made it 1-0 Boomers. An Alec Craig two-out RBI single later in the frame would make it 2-0, and in the third inning, again after two leadoff hits by the Boomers, Blake Grant-Parks made it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly.
The Grizzlies' offense didn't get much going against Aaron Glickstein (5-2), as they did not get on the board until the fifth inning. In the frame, Mark Vierling and Alex Hernandez hit leadoff singles, and advanced to third and second base, respectively, on a groundout, and a sacrifice fly by Eric Rivera then made it a 3-1 game. Then, with two outs in the eighth, Hernandez doubled to left field before scoring on a subsequent single by Jairus Richards to cut the Grizzlies' deficit to 3-2.
But Gateway would not get any runners on base in the eighth or ninth against Dylan Stutsman or Kristian Scott, who got his second save of the series to finish off the extremely-tight three-game set in the potential playoff preview.
Having finished the regular season 21-23 on the road, the Grizzlies now return home to Sauget, where they are 33-12 on the season, for a seven-game home stand beginning on Tuesday, August 29, with the first of a huge, four-game series against the Evansville Otters. Lukas Veinbergs will start the opener of the series as Gateway looks to inch closer to a West Division title at Grizzlies Ballpark.
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.