Grizzlies Lose Absolute Heartbreaker in Sudden Death
Gateway hits into pair of backbreaking double plays late to fall to 0-5 past regulation at home
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies had a 3-2 lead going to the top of the ninth inning on Sunday evening against the Windy City ThunderBolts, but failed to hold the advantage, then failed to score despite having the winning run at third with one out in the tenth, and followed up by failing to score in Sudden Death to lose the series at Arsenal BG Ballpark, with a final score of 3-3.
Windy City scored all three of their runs on home runs to the short porch in right field. Daryl Ruiz hit the first in the top of the second inning off Brady Fuller, and two innings later, Christian Kuzemka hit one of his own against Claudio Galva to make the score 2-0.
The Grizzlies would respond in the bottom of the fourth. D.J. Stewart led off the inning with a triple, and was balked home after a pitching change by Carsen Plumadore to make it 2-1. Two batters later, Dale Thomas walked and Mark Shallenberger was hit by a pitch. Pavin Parks then hit a ball to first base that got off the glove of Ruiz for an error, allowing Thomas to come home with the tying run.
The Grizzlies would then break the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh when Gabe Holt singled with one out, and was followed through a pitching change by Abdiel Diaz, who walked, and Stewart, whose single loaded the bases. Victor Castillo then hit into a fielder's choice, avoiding the double play and scoring Holt to make it 3-2 Gateway.
But after a scoreless inning from Matt Hickey in the eighth, with one out in the ninth, Keegan Collett surrendered Ruiz's second home run of the game to right-center field, suffering his first blown save of the season and tying the score at 3-3.
The game went to the International Tiebreaker in the top of the tenth, and Alec Whaley came on to make his 154th career appearance as a Grizzlie, a new club record. Despite allowing a leadoff base hit in the frame, the veteran wiggled out of the jam with three straight fielder's choice ground balls, with two runners in a row being thrown out trying to advance home, giving Gateway hope for their first extra-inning home win of the season in the bottom of the frame.
But those hopes were quickly dashed in front of a big crowd. After a successful sacrifice bunt by Castillo moved the winning run to third base with one out, the ThunderBolts intentionally walked both Thomas and Edwin Mateo before Parks hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, sending the game to Sudden Death.
The Grizzlies chose to hit in their home park, and Cole Brannen sacrificed the winning run to second base. After a third intentional walk to Jose Alvarez, however, Holt lined out to shortstop, with Parks caught off of the bag at second to end the game with yet another double play, dropping the Grizzlies to 0-5 in extra innings or sudden death at home, and 1-7 on their current 10-game home stand with their third loss of the set in their opponent's final turn at-bat.
After an off day tomorrow, the Grizzlies will try and recover when they play host to the Mississippi Mud Monsters on Tuesday, August 5, kicking off a critical stretch of baseball against three teams fighting for a playoff spot at 6:30 p.m. CT 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.