Long Ball Leads Grizzlies to Crucial Series Win
Gateway cracks four dingers to jump in front, win season series over Crushers
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies hit four home runs on Thursday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, including two in the first inning to take control early in a 9-5 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers, winning the midweek series two games to one as well as the season series tiebreaker by a count of five games to four.
Dale Thomas began the proceedings with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning, and Sawyer Smith followed with a two-run home run to right field, the first of his pro career, off Darrien Ragins (5-5) to put Gateway up 2-0. Two batters later, Mark Shallenberger hit his 13th home run of the season on a screaming line drive down the right field line, making the score 3-0.
Ben Harris took command from there, as the Grizzlies rookie shut out the Crushers through the first three innings, and in the bottom of the third, Gateway would put a crooked number on the scoreboard. Smith led off with a single, and after two walks loaded the bases with one out, Gabe Holt was hit by a pitch from Ragins to make the score 4-0.
After the southpaw left the game with an injury, the bases were still loaded with two outs for Cole Brannen, and the veteran outfielder turned on a breaking pitch from Brandyn Sittinger and hit it over the right field fence for a grand slam, bumping the Grizzlies' lead to 8-0.
Lake Erie would get on the board in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out RBI double by Alfredo Gonzalez, and then scored a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings around a solo home run by Abdiel Diaz, making the score 9-5. The Crushers would then get two runners on base with no outs in the seventh, but Francis Peguero (3-4) wiggled out of the jam without allowing a run.
Matt Hickey and Keegan Collett then shut the door late, with Collett striking out the side in order in the ninth as the Grizzlies secured a big victory that pulled them back within 1.5 games of first place in the West Division standings.
The Grizzlies will remain at home this weekend for their penultimate regular season series in Sauget, taking on the Windy City ThunderBolts on Friday, August 15. Zac Treece will look to keep a late-season surge going on the mound for Gateway against Windy City's Tyler Wehrle, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark 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.