Grizzlies Gut Out Middle-Game Victory at Mississippi
Gateway evens up midweek series to set up rubber game in road finale
PEARL, MS. – The Gateway Grizzlies grabbed an early lead, lost it, regained it, then came up clutch in the ninth to add insurance in what became a 7-4 victory over the Mississippi Mud Monsters on Wednesday afternoon at Trustmark Park, bouncing back after being walked off in the series opener just 13 hours prior.
Gateway entered the game tremendously shorthanded on the mound with just three available arms, and they had to deal with at least one runner on base in every single inning of the contest. Alvery De Los Santos (5-0) was able to strand a pair of Mud Monsters on base in the first two innings, and the Grizzlies were able to plate two runs in the top of the third inning to take their first lead of the series on an RBI groundout by Jose Alvarez and a two-out RBI single by Sawyer Smith, making the score 2-0.
Mississippi would get both runs back in the bottom of the third, tying the score at 2-2 with two outs on a single by Samil De La Rosa, but De Los Santos would hold the line there while working around yet more traffic on the bases for the rest of his five-inning start.
In the top of the fifth inning, a leadoff walk drawn by Dale Thomas off Mud Monsters starter Brandon Mitchell (7-5) would set the table for another two-run rally. Gabe Holt followed the walk with a single, and Alvarez came through again with an RBI single to make it 3-2. Smith then hit a ground ball to first base that turned into a long rundown on the basepaths, with Alvarez staying in it long enough to allow Holt to score to make the score 4-2.
From there, the shorthanded Grizzlies' bullpen stepped up and did the job. Matt Hickey tossed scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh, getting a fielder's choice and a huge double play to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the latter frame, and Alec Whaley pitched the final two innings, allowing two runs in the ninth, but closing the game out for the save.
In the top of the ninth, it was Gateway coming up with three runs of insurance with two outs on a two-run double by Matthew Lee off the bench, followed by another RBI single by Smith, accounting for what turned out to be the final margin on the scoreboard.
The Grizzlies will look to win the series in Pearl on Thursday, August 28, at 6:30 p.m. CT. Zac Treece will make the start in the final road game of the regular season for Gateway against Mississippi's Tyree Thompson at Trustmark Park.
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.