Grizzlies Hang On, Beat Boomers to Win Series
Gateway holds late lead to move past Schaumburg into first place in West Division
SCHAUMBURG, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies got a six-run lead twice on Wednesday night against the Schaumburg Boomers, and were able to ward off a late comeback by the home team for an 8-6 victory at Wintrust Field, moving them past the Boomers into first place in the West Division standings while also lowering their magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to 3.
After two full scoreless innings to begin the contest by Xander Lovin and Cole Cook (9-4), the Grizzlies struck first by scoring three runs in the top of the third on RBI singles by Victor Castillo and Jose Alvarez along with a sacrifice fly to first base by Abdiel Diaz. They built a 5-0 lead in the following inning on three doubles, including back-to-back two-out knocks by Edwin Mateo and Cole Brannen. Then, in the top of the fifth inning, also with two outs, Sawyer Smith rapped an RBI single to right field to make the lead 6-0.
Schaumburg, who had been held down by Lovin to that point, rallied by getting three straight two-out singles to load the bases, then back-to-back walks by Christian Fedko and Chase Dawson, slicing the lead to 6-2 and bringing the tying run to the plate. Claudio Galva (7-1) got Nick Podkul to ground out to shortstop on one pitch to get out of that jam, however, and in the next inning, Castillo and Diaz came up clutch again with RBI hits to expand the Grizzlies' advantage to 8-2.
Galva kept it there until he ran into big trouble in the seventh. With two outs and two runners on, Schaumburg got three straight RBI hits by Dawson, Podkul, and Anthony Calarco that made the score 8-5, and then another from Banks Tolley off Alec Whaley to get themselves within 8-6 and put the tying runs on base alongside the go-ahead run at the plate.
Whaley, though, would wiggle out of trouble and keep Gateway in front. After Francis Peguero pitched a flawless eighth, it was up to Keegan Collett in the ninth, and the all-star closer walked Dawson to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. But he bore down from there, winning a long battle with Podkul on a flyout to right field, and getting Calarco, the league's RBI king, to line out to second base to end the game and notch his 11th save of the season.
Now ahead of the Boomers in the standings for the first time since late July, the Grizzlies will seek to remain there when they go for the sweep in the series finale on Thursday, August 21, at Wintrust Field. Chicagoland native Ben Harris will pitch for the Grizzlies against Schaumburg's Christian Johnson, with first pitch 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.