Grizzlies Walk All Over Mud Monsters, Claim Series
Gateway draws 14 bases-on-balls, scores 13 runs in third straight victory
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies piled on against the Mississippi Mud Monsters on Saturday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, taking advantage of 14 walks by amassing 10 hits, including five for extra bases, in a 13-5 victory that also clinched their fourth series win in their last five.
The scoring started in the second inning for Gateway thanks to Sawyer Smith, who would go on to have a career night. The Grizzlies shortstop sent a three-run opposite field homer over the wall for an early 3-0 lead over Mississippi starter Brenton Thiels (0-5). Gateway then doubled that lead in the bottom of the third- with two outs, Bryson Horne blasted an opposite-field home run, his tenth of the season, to make it 4-0 and spur a two-out rally in the process. The next two Grizzlies walked, and Davie Morgan drove them both in with a two-run double off the top of the wall in left field, giving Gateway a 6-0 lead.
After Mississippi got a run back, the three-run frames continued for Gateway in the fourth. José Alvarez added an RBI double to the mix, and Horne drew a bases-loaded walk, while Smith plated another with an RBI fielder's choice, giving him four RBIs on the day and making it a 9-1 contest.
Gateway also added on insurance runs late, taking advantage of four walks and one hit batter in the sixth inning to plate three, with Smith collecting his fifth RBI on another fielder's choice. Smith would then cap a six-RBI night with a two-out double in the seventh inning, giving him the most runs driven in for a Grizzlie in a single game since 2024.
On the mound, Grizzlies starter Ty Good (3-0) took the early run support and ran with it, earning another win in a "quality start." The righty fired six innings, allowing just three runs on a pair of homers, and struck out a career high nine batters in the win, which put the Grizzlies at a season-best two games over the .500 mark and into first place in the West Division standings for the first time in 2026.
The Grizzlies will now go for their second three-game sweep in a week's time in the series finale on Sunday, June 7, at 1:05 p.m. CT. Ben Gregory will take the mound in his professional debut for Gateway, while Mississippi will counter with southpaw Gage Bihm.
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.