Grizzlies Blitzed by Y’alls in Rubber Game
Gateway drops final series of home stand after winning opener
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies yet again could not keep Dillon Baker and the Florence Y'alls in the ballpark on Sunday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, as the shortstop hit three more home runs with eight RBIs, with two coming in his first two turns at bat to set the tone for a 15-4 Gateway loss.
Xander Lovin (0-4) got out of a jam in the first inning, but could not continue to do so in the second or third. Baker came up with two runners on and hit yet another home run to right-center field over the short wall, his second in as many nights, putting the Y'alls up 3-0 in the second inning.
After Mitchell Sanford got one back with his third homer of the season out to left-center field, Lovin got the first two batters out in the third inning, but issued a walk followed by a double and an RBI single by Garrett Broussard, with two runs scoring on the play thanks to an error by Sanford. Baker then came up again, and hit another home run, a two-run blast to left field, his fourth of the series, to make it 7-1 Florence.
Offensively, the Grizzlies also struggled. They hit a trio of home runs in the contest, with Sawyer Smith and Cole Brannen both going yard to join Sanford, but it was not nearly enough, as Florence starter Casey Bargo (1-1) pitched seven innings and struck out ten batters for the win.
Already leading 9-4 after eight, the Y'alls would pile on six more runs in the ninth inning as well, giving them 33 in the final two games of the series alone, including the fifth home run of the series for Baker, who finished the weekend with 13 RBIs by himself.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back on the road, heading to Massachusetts to begin their annual Atlantic Conference trip on Tuesday, June 16 against the Brockton Rox. Gage Vailes will open the trip on the mound at Campanelli Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 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.