Stewart, Thomas Lead Grizzlies to Sweep in Evansville
Gateway enters all-star break on five-game win streak, one game back of first place
EVANSVILLE, IND. – The Gateway Grizzlies got huge RBI days at the plate from D.J. Stewart and Dale Thomas and pounded out 15 total hits offensively in an 11-6 victory over the Evansville Otters at Bosse Field on Sunday night, giving them five straight wins overall entering the all-star break.
For the second night in a row, it was the Otters who got the game's first run thanks to three straight two-out singles off Zac Treece in the bottom of the first, with L.J. Jones putting Evansville in front 1-0.
But that lead would not last- in the top of the third inning, with two men already on base and two outs, Mark Shallenberger walked to load the bases for Stewart, who put Gateway in front with a two-run single to center field at 2-1. Victor Castillo followed with another walk to re-load the bases, and Thomas then put two more runs on the board with an RBI single of his own to make it a 4-1 ballgame. Edwin Mateo followed Thomas with an RBI hit of his own to chase Evansville starter Garret Simpson (0-3) and make it a 5-1 Grizzlies advantage.
Evansville would get three of those runs back with two outs in the bottom of the third when Jones stroked a three-run home run to right field to cut the lead to 5-4, but the Otters would not get closer, and after Claudio Galva (4-1) stabilized things on the mound with a pair of scoreless innings, Gateway would add insurance in the fifth and sixth innings.
Thomas got his third RBI of the game on a single in the former inning to make it 6-4 Grizzlies, and Gateway would bat around for the second time in the game in the latter. Abdiel Diaz made it 7-4 with an RBI double past third base, and Stewart came up with two men on later in the inning and clubbed a three-run home run to left field, giving the three-time all-star five runs batted in on the day, and putting the Gateway lead at 10-4.
That put the game out of reach for the slumping Otters, who would score single runs in the eighth and the ninth innings against Francis Peguero after an RBI single by Cole Brannen in the top of the eighth to complete the scoring in the game. Every Grizzlies position player in the game had at least one hit, and seven of the nine in the lineup also scored at least one run, as Gateway tied their longest win streak of the season with the victory while sending the Otters to their 12th straight loss.
Now just one game back of first place and a season-high 15 games over .500, the Grizzlies will begin their post-all-star break schedule at home this Friday, July 18, against the Schaumburg Boomers in a big clash between the top two teams in the division. First pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark 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.