Grizzlies Win Big Rubber Game Over Windy City
Gateway rallies in sixth to take lead for good, creeps closer to playoff berth
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies had a 3-0 early lead slip away on Sunday night against the Windy City ThunderBolts, but recovered to score four runs in the sixth inning to go ahead for good in an 8-4 victory at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
It was Dale Thomas who broke the ice on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning, taking Windy City starter Bryce Hellgeth deep for a two-run shot to right-center field and a 2-0 lead. In the following inning, with two outs, D.J. Stewart came up clutch in his return to the starting lineup, driving in his 70th run of the season with a single to right field, making the score 3-0.
Grizzlies rookie Jake Burcham was sharp early as well on the mound in his first pro start, but faltered with two outs and a man on base in the top of the fourth, hitting Daryl Ruiz with a pitch before giving up a three-run, game-tying home run to Christian Kuzemka. The ThunderBolts would also take a 4-3 lead after Burcham departed the game in the sixth on an RBI single by Ruiz, but Francis Peguero (4-4) got a big double-play from Kuzemka that frame to minimize the damage, and the Grizzlies would capitalize in the bottom half.
With one out, Hellgeth hit Stewart with a pitch, and after Carsen Plumadore (1-3) came in from the bullpen, he walked Abdiel Diaz before Thomas tied the score at 4-4 on an RBI single off the top of the left field wall. Plumadore got Edwin Mateo to pop up to shortstop for the second out, but the game turned in the next at-bat when Cole Brannen clobbered a go-ahead, three-run homer out of the ballpark to right field, with his twelfth dinger of the season giving the Grizzlies a 7-4 lead.
Gateway's bullpen would hold that advantage late, as Peguero was followed by scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth from Matt Hickey and Keegan Collett. Mateo would also add a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to complete the scoring for the Grizzlies, as they lowered their "magic number" to clinch a spot in the 2025 Frontier League playoffs to seven with 13 games remaining in the regular season.
Having capped the home stand with a 4-2 record and finished the season-series against Windy City at 6-6, the Grizzlies will now embark on a 10-game road swing beginning in Schaumburg on Tuesday, August 19, against the Boomers at Wintrust Field. Gage Vailes will pitch the opening game at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the two teams separated by just 1.5 games atop the West Division standings.
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.