Grizzlies Falter Late, Settle for Series Win
Gateway clubs four more home runs, but drops finale to Slammers
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies nearly clawed their way back from a 5-1 deficit in the middle frames on Thursday night, but allowed nine runs in the final three innings en route to a 14-5 loss to the Joliet Slammers at Arsenal BG Ballpark, dropping their record to 3-3 on the year.
Victor Castillo put the Grizzlies ahead right away with a solo home run to right field that made it 1-0 in the first inning, but Joliet responded with five runs in the top of the second inning, capped by a go-ahead grand slam by Ian Battipaglia over the short porch in right that made it 5-1.
Mark Shallenberger led the comeback from the four-run deficit by smacking a pair of home runs, including a two-run shot in the third inning, giving him four long balls in his last two games. On the second of those two homers, a solo blast in the sixth, Gateway got their deficit down to a single run at 5-4.
But the bullpen faltered late. Joliet scored three times in the seventh off Jake Burcham on a home run by Josh Phillips, and then four more times with two outs in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by A.J. Orrico and Brandon Heidal off Andrew Ronne, making the score 12-4. Bryson Horne would also stay hot with a solo homer of his own in the bottom of the eighth to cap the Gateway scoring, but a two-run shot to right by Cam Suto off position player Abe Valdez accounted for the final margin.
Despite the hard loss, the Grizzlies won the series, and will look to bounce back on Friday, May 15, against the Windy City ThunderBolts. Xander Lovin will pitch in the series opener against Windy City southpaw Kevin Figueredo, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark set 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 2026 schedule can be found at FrontierLeague.com.