Grizzlies Win Fifth Straight, Take Home Opener From Aigles
Gateway erases 4-0 deficit with nine unanswered runs, locks down first home contest
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies fell behind 4-0 in the opening frames against the Trois-Rivières Aigles on Friday night in their home opener, but they again rallied back, scoring three runs in the fourth inning and six more in the fifth to go ahead for good in a 9-7 victory at Arsenal BG Ballpark, the club's fifth straight win.
The Aigles broke the scoring open in the third inning on a solo home run by Mathieu Vallée to left-center field against Alvery De Los Santos, and scored three times in the next inning on RBI hits by Omar Meregildo and Brandon Hylton to go ahead 4-0. In the bottom of the inning, the Grizzlies would respond against Trois-Rivières starter Jacob Peaden (0-2), with D.J. Stewart going deep to left-center field for his first home run of the season to make the score 4-1. After a two-out walk by Mark Shallenberger extended the frame, Edwin Mateo cracked a two-run double to left-center, making it a one-run game again at 4-3.
In the fifth, the Grizzlies' bats roared loud yet again. Gabe Holt led off the inning with a double, and after Stewart singled, Ross Friedrick tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single to right field. Trois-Rivières manager Jonathan Albaladejo then met with Peaden on the mound, and left his starter in the game, which proved to be a costly decision when Cole Brannen extended his hit streak to seven games in a row in ultra-dramatic fashion, hitting a low line drive on the very next pitch right at Vallée that the center fielder dove for and missed, allowing Brannen to circle the bases with a go-ahead, three-run, inside-the-park home run, and giving Gateway a 7-4 lead.
After a pitching change, Dale Thomas kept the momentum going with a single, and two batters later, Mateo hit a two-run home run to right-center field, again with two outs, to make the score 9-4 Grizzlies. Trois-Rivières then responded with a three-spot of their own in the top of the sixth when John Montes came home from third base on an error by Thomas at shortstop, followed by a Juan Carlos Negret two-run home run off Francis Peguero, making the score 9-7.
But that was as close as the visitors got. Peguero bounced back with a scoreless seventh, and Leoni De La Cruz tossed a zero up on the board in the eighth. The Aigles got two walks in the ninth inning to put the tying runs on base, but Sam Coonrod struck out the side, earning his second save.
The Grizzlies will look to extend their win streak to six in a row and clinch a third-straight series win in the middle game against the Aigles on Saturday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. CT. Lukas Veinbergs will pitch for the Grizzlies against Trois-Rivières right-hander Mike Hansell at Arsenal BG 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 Arsenal BG Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, four 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 2025 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.