Grizzlies Secure Winning Trip, Beat Wild Things in Extras
Victor Castillo delivers go-ahead triple in tenth inning, Gateway avoids sweep
WASHINGTON, PA. – The Gateway Grizzlies went to extra innings for the second time on their six-game road trip, and again came up clutch when it mattered most, scoring two runs in the top of the tenth inning to break the deadlock in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Wild Things at EQT Park on Thursday night.
For the second game in a row, it was the Grizzlies scoring first, as Bryson Horne blasted a Maddox Long breaking pitch over the right-center field fence leading off the top of the fourth inning, putting Gateway ahead 1-0. For the first six innings, that was all they needed, as Gage Vailes dominated on the mound. The right-hander allowed just one batter to reach base until the sixth, and faced the minimum through five full frames, retiring 14 Washington hitters in a row at one point.
But the Wild Things finally broke their scoreless drought in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Ryan Ford led off with a solo home run of his own to even the game at 1-1. Washington was then able to chase Vailes, getting runners on the corners with two outs in that same inning before Matt Hickey entered and got out of the jam to keep the score tied. Vailes' excellent outing ended at six and two-thirds innings pitched, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out three.
Hickey maintained the strong pitching through the eighth inning, twirling a perfect frame to send the game to the ninth at 1-1. When the Grizzlies couldn't get the go-ahead run home, it was up to Andrew Ronne (2-0) to get the game into extra innings, and that's exactly what he did. Ronne fired a perfect inning himself, and for the second time on the road trip, Gateway's series finale needed more than nine innings.
Just like in Joliet on Sunday, the Grizzlies offense roared to life in the top of the tenth. With the International Tiebreaker in effect, Otto Jones sacrificed the automatic runner to third base, bringing up Victor Castillo, who came up clutch by roping an RBI triple into the right-center field gap to put Gateway ahead 2-1. José Alvarez then delivered an ever-important second run with an RBI single to score Castillo.
In the bottom of the tenth with a 3-1 score, Washington got a two-out RBI single of their own from Hunter Stokely to score the Wild Things' automatic runner, but Ronne came right back to get the final out of the inning on a flyout to left field, sealing the win.
The victory secured a 4-2 road trip for the Grizzlies, who now return home to Arsenal BG Ballpark for a nine- game homestand beginning on Friday night, June 5, against the Mississippi Mud Monsters. Ben Harris will get the start on the mound at Arsenal BG Ballpark, 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 2026 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.