Grizzlies Drop Regular Season Finale, Gear Up for Playoffs
Gateway hosts Washington in Wild Card series beginning Wednesday night in Sauget
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies had a 4-2 lead after five innings on Sunday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, but a quartet of position players pitching could not stem the tide of late offense from the Evansville Otters in a 12-4 loss on the "Greatest Night in Baseball," concluding the regular season with a 56-40 record in front of a season-best crowd of 6,122 fans.
Entering the game with pitchers in the final five spots in the batting order, it was Gateway's top of the lineup that got them going right away in the bottom of the first inning- Matthew Lee walked and Sawyer Smith singled before Mark Shallenberger walked loaded the bases against Otters starter Alex Canney. Dale Thomas then lined a two-run double to right-center field to put the Grizzlies up 2-0.
Xander Lovin was sharp on the mound as well, but would surrender single runs in the third and fifth to tie the game at 2-2 on an RBI single by Graham Brown and a solo home run by Dennis Pierce, respectively. The Grizzlies responded right away thanks to a pair of solo home runs off the bats of Shallenberger and pitcher-turned-infielder Matt Hickey, with the latter's first professional home run making the score 4-2 Gateway.
The Otters would not be denied, however, as after Lovin departed, the Grizzlies used nothing but position players on the mound to finish the game. Abdiel Diaz struck out a batter in his first pro inning of work, but gave up a run to make it 4-3, and Jose Alvarez (0-1) surrendered three runs in the seventh to put Evansville up 6-4. The visitors then scored five times with two outs against Edwin Mateo in the eighth to go up 11-4, and capped the scoring in the game with another run in the ninth against D.J. Stewart.
Having secured the #3 seed in the Midwest Conference thanks to their efforts on the field this summer, the Grizzlies will focus their attention on the playoffs when they host the #2 seed and Central Division champion Washington Wild Things, kicking off the best-of-three series on Wednesday, September 3, at Arsenal BG Ballpark. First pitch between the two clubs, who split six regular season meetings down the middle at 3-3, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
ALL tickets for ALL home playoff games in 2025 are priced at just $5. Call the box office at (618) 337-3000 or go online to GatewayGrizzlies.com to secure your seats to cheer on the Grizzlies as they embark on a quest for their second Frontier League championship in their third straight postseason appearance!
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.