Grizzlies Win Sixth Straight Behind Dominant Vailes
Gateway starter goes the distance, strikes out 10 in victory
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies hitched their wagon to an incredible start by Gage Vailes (3-0) on Wednesday morning, with the right-hander tossing a complete-game gem in a 4-1 win over the Schaumburg Boomers at Arsenal BG Ballpark, the ballclub's sixth straight win overall.
Dale Thomas got the scoring started early with an injection of run support for Vailes in the first inning. Following a pair of walks in the frame, Thomas blasted a two-out three-run homer off Schaumburg starter Cole Zaffiro (0-1) out to left field, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead. Gateway would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Gavin Baldwin, giving the Nashville, Illinois native his first professional hit in his debut.
The rest was handled by Vailes. The third-year Grizzlie was dominant from the very start, facing the minimum through his first four innings of work and carrying a no-hitter through that same span. He did not allow a single Boomer to reach second base until the eighth, retiring ten straight hitters at one point in the ballgame.
Vailes also held Schaumburg scoreless through his first eight innings, but despite a two-out RBI single by Cole Turney spoiling the shutout, it did not detract from his outstanding outing, as he finished with just one run and five total baserunners allowed, striking out ten to match his career high as Gateway clinched the midweek series.
Gateway will now go for back-to-back sweeps to begin their home stand and a seventh consecutive victory on Thursday night, June 11. Coming off a near-complete-game effort himself, Ben Harris will get the starting nod on the mound opposite Schaumburg's Ross Thompson, with first pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark slated 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.