Grizzlies Stumble in Loss To Otters
Gateway falls behind by 11 in middle frames, loses second straight game
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies fell behind early on Tuesday night, and were unable to fully recover after the Evansville Otters scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to a 12-8 loss at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
Claudio Galva (2-1) started, but could not gain his footing early in the contest, giving up a two-out RBI double to Pavin Parks in the top of the first inning to make it 1-0, then a pair of runs in the second inning as Gateway fell behind 3-0. Edwin Mateo came up with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning to cut the Grizzlies' deficit to 2-1, but the Otters kept on scoring, plating single insurance runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 5-1 lead.
Alec Whaley was able to minimize the damage in the latter frame to one run despite coming in with the bases loaded and no one out, but in the sixth, he hit back-to-back batters with one out, followed by four straight Evansville hits that plated four runs and made it a 9-1 ballgame. After a pitching change that brought in Matt Hickey from the bullpen, he got the second out of the frame, but surrendered a three-run home run to J.J. Cruz, making the score 12-1 Evansville.
The Grizzlies would then score the final seven runs of the game. Paxton Wallace lifted a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth to make it 12-2, and Gateway brought home three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI double by Cole Brannen off the bench, a wild pitch, and a Jose Alvarez RBI single.
With the score 12-5 in the top of the ninth, things got weird, as following scoreless innings on the mound from position players Brannen and Mateo, Tanner Garrison took the hill, and struck out leadoff hitter David Mendham swinging in an at-bat that also saw the ejections of Otters hitting coach T.J. Zarewicz, manager Andy McCauley, and Mendham himself. The Grizzlies then capitalized on that momentum to score three more runs in the bottom of the ninth courtesy of a D.J. Stewart home run off Jon Beymer, but they could not get closer in suffering their second straight loss in similar fashion.
The Grizzlies will try and even the series in the middle contest against Evansville on Wednesday, June 25, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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.