Grizzlies Sweep Washington, Advance to Midwest Finals
Veinbergs dominates on mound, Gateway moves on to face Schaumburg
WASHINGTON, PA. – The Gateway Grizzlies got a dominant performance on the mound from Lukas Veinbergs (1-0), with the fourth-year veteran allowing one run over seven innings while tying his career-high with 10 strikeouts in a 9-4 victory over the Washington Wild Things at EQT Park on Saturday night. With the win, the Grizzlies advance to the Midwest Conference Finals, sweeping the best-of-three Wild Card series two games to none.
Veinbergs and Washington ace Kobe Foster (0-1) dueled in the opening innings, with just one total baserunner allowed between them in the first two frames. It was the Grizzlies who struck first in the top of the third- Mark Shallenberger and Edwin Mateo led off with back-to-back singles, and after the first out was recorded at third base on a sacrifice bunt, Dale Thomas placed an RBI single up the middle between the shortstop and second baseman, putting the Grizzlies ahead 1-0. A sacrifice fly by Gabe Holt made the score 2-0 one batter later as Gateway scored first against the Wild Things for the first time in eight head-to-head meetings in 2025.
The Grizzlies would keep scoring in the next three frames as well. D.J. Stewart crushed a solo home run to right-center field in the fourth to make it 3-0, and Thomas would add his second solo shot of the series to left-center field in the fifth for a 4-0 advantage. Foster would exit after five innings, but Gateway plated two more runs against Regi Grace in the sixth on an RBI single by Shallenberger and an RBI groundout by Mateo, expanding the lead to 6-0.
Veinbergs, meanwhile, almost completely shut down the Wild Things lineup. He recorded scoreless frames in each of the four innings that the Grizzlies scored runs while he was pitching, and ended up letting up just one run on three hits in seven innings to set a new season high, while striking out 10 Washington hitters to mark his second career double-digit strikeout performance and first since his rookie season in 2022.
Armed with a 6-1 lead heading into the eighth, Gateway capped the series with a three-run inning, with Abdiel Diaz swimming around a tag at home plate by Washington catcher Three Hillier on a ground ball to first base by Cole Brannen to make the score 7-1, and Holt knocking in two more runs with a two-out single, giving him five RBIs in the series and three in the game while putting the Grizzlies up 9-1.
Washington would score three times in the ninth inning for the final margin, but Alec Whaley struck out Andrew Czech swinging to end the game and the Wild Things' season as Gateway won their first playoff series since 2003, setting off the celebration in the Keystone state.
The Grizzlies now advance to play the West Division champion Schaumburg Boomers in the best-of-five Midwest Conference Finals. Gateway will travel to Wintrust Field for Games 1 and 2, with the series beginning on Tuesday, September 9.
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.