Veinbergs Tosses Shutout, Grizzlies Thump Otters
Gateway starter goes distance with nine strikeouts, offense scores in every inning but fifth in blowout
Sauget, IL (August 29, 2023) – The Gateway Grizzlies got another stellar performance from Lukas Veinbergs (9-3), with the right-hander shutting out the Evansville Otters on six hits with nine strikeouts while the offense put up a consistent effort in a 9-0 victory at Grizzlies Ballpark on Tuesday night.
The Grizzlies scored in every turn at bat they took except in the bottom of the fifth, starting in the first inning, when Jairus Richards and Eric Rivera reached on back-to-back leadoff singles against Evansville right-hander Zach Smith (6-9). Richards and Rivera then executed a double-steal, with the former tying the Frontier League record with his 71st stolen base of the season, before Cole Brannen made the score 1-0 with a sacrifice fly. Andrew Penner then collected a two-out RBI single to make it a 2-0 game.
Gateway would keep on scoring all night- Richards hit a solo home run in the second inning to make it 3-0, and D.J. Stewart hit a two-out RBI single in the third inning for a 4-0 advantage. Richards and Clint Freeman then both clubbed solo home runs in the fourth inning to chase Smith and increase the lead to 6-0.
After a scoreless fifth, the Grizzlies made history in the sixth inning, as Richards walked with one out, went to second on Rivera's single, and then the pair executed another double-steal, giving Richards his 72nd stolen base of the season to set a new Frontier League record. He later scored on a wild pitch by James Krick to make the score 6-0, and the Grizzlies would complete the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Stewart in the seventh inning, and another wild pitch in the eighth for the final 9-0 score.
But they only needed one run tonight, as the Otters could not touch Veinbergs, who set a new career-best in innings pitched by finishing what he started, throwing 81 of his 120 pitches for strikes, and walking just one Otters batter against his nine strikeouts for the first nine-inning shutout thrown by a Grizzlies pitcher in almost exactly one year.
Gateway's magic number is now down to three to clinch a West Division title entering a doubleheader tomorrow against Evansville at Grizzlies Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, Parker Johnson and Nathanial Tate getting the starts for the Grizzlies. A sweep of the twin bill and a Schaumburg loss at Florence can clinch the Grizzlies' fourth West Division crown in club history.
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.