Grizzlies Drop Another Close Game To Lake Erie
Gateway bats silenced following hot start in rubber game
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies opened their ballgame with four straight singles and a 2-0 lead on Sunday night against the Lake Erie Crushers, but gave up two home runs late in suffering a 3-2 loss at Arsenal BG Ballpark that dropped the club back into second place in the Frontier League West Division standings.
Gabe Holt started off the game against Jack Eisenbarger (4-2) with an infield single, and Victor Castillo followed with a single of his own, one of three he would hit in the game. On a hit-and-run, Jose Alvarez bounced an RBI single into right-center field for a 1-0 Grizzlies lead, and on the very next pitch, Dale Thomas rocketed an RBI single to left field, making the score 2-0.
Lukas Veinbergs was brilliant on the mound for Gateway, fanning five and shutting out the Crushers offense for five and two-thirds innings, retiring 10 batters in a row at one point. But with two outs in the sixth, he gave up a first-pitch single to Alfredo Gonzalez, and with two strikes on Jarrod Watkins, surrendered a game-tying, two-run home run over the right field fence.
In the next frame, Francis Peguero (2-4) surrendered a leadoff solo shot to left field off the bat of Jaidan Quinn, giving Lake Erie their first lead of the night at 3-2 with what turned out to be the winning run.
Meanwhile, after the early flurry of offense with four men on base in the first inning, the Grizzlies were held to just four runners on base for the entire rest of the game in losing the weekend series to the Crushers despite scoring first in each of the two one-run losses.
Gateway will look to bounce back after an off day on Monday in the final series of their nine-game home stand when the Joliet Slammers come to Sauget for a midweek set beginning Tuesday, July 8, at Arsenal BG Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled 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.