Grizzlies Shocked by Rox
Gateway leads by five in ninth inning, but falls on walk off home run
BROCKTON, MASS. – The Gateway Grizzlies lost 13-10 to the Brockton Rox on Tuesday night at Campanelli Stadium, surrendering eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to drop game one of their Atlantic Conference road trip in walk-off fashion.
After both teams scored single runs in the first, Davie Morgan left the yard the very next inning, with his opposite field solo homer giving the lead back to the Grizzlies at 2-1.
Things then got wild in the fourth inning. Three free passes kicked the frame off for Gateway's offense, all of which were cashed in immediately with one swing of the bat by Gavin Baldwin, with the rookie crushing a grand slam for his first professional home run and a 6-1 lead. Then after another walk, Victor Castillo hit a no-doubter to right field for the third Grizzlies home run of the game and an 8-1 advantage.
The Rox were ready with another response in the bottom half, though, scoring four runs of their own against Vailes on three singles, two Gateway errors and a walk. Vailes was able to strand two runners with an inning-ending strikeout, but Brockton had cut the lead to 8-5.
The Grizzlies denied Brockton a shutdown inning in the top of the fifth, manufacturing a run when Morgan stole second base after a single, and forced an errant throw by the catcher, putting them up 9-5.
Over the course of the next four innings, the lead held despite the Rox loading the bases in three of the four frames, as the Grizzlies' bullpen got out of the jams to keep the four-run advantage, expanding it to five on a Cole Brannen bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth at 10-5.
But things fell apart in the bottom of the ninth. Claudio Galva (2-2) was called upon in the frame, and the dam would finally burst, resulting in an eight-run inning capped by a walk-off, three-run home run off the bat of Hayden Travinski, and sending Gateway to a shocking defeat, their third in a row overall.
The Grizzlies will try and stop the bleeding on Wednesday, June 17, in the middle game of the series in Massachusetts, sending Ben Harris to the mound against Brockton's Zach Eldred. First pitch at Campanelli Stadium is 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.