Grizzlies Bounce Back, Take Down Brockton
Ben Harris, huge second inning lead Gateway to middle game win
BROCKTON, MASS. – The Gateway Grizzlies scored 10 runs on 12 hits in the top of the second inning, and got a dominant outing from Ben Harris (5-2) on the mound in an 11-3 romp over the Brockton Rox on Wednesday night at Campanelli Stadium, evening the midweek series at one game apiece.
After Harris and Brockton starter Zach Eldred (2-3) both threw 1-2-3 first innings, the Grizzlies pounced all over the latter in the second. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Mitchell Sanford, whose RBI single made the score 1-0. Davie Morgan and Cole Brannen would both follow with two-run singles, putting the Grizzlies up 5-0 on six straight hits before the first out of the inning was made.
After a strikeout, Gateway would plate five more runs thanks to six more consecutive hits, with a two-run single by Bryson Horne followed by RBI singles by Jose Alvarez and Sawyer Smith making the score 9-0. Sanford capped the frame with an RBI double that chased Eldred from the contest, with the only extra-base hit of the whopping 12 in the inning making the score 10-0 Grizzlies.
That was all Harris needed, as the right-hander carried a shutout into the eighth inning before he was tagged for a solo home run off the bat of Nick Marola. The second-year Grizzlie tossed eight frames, striking out five and allowing one run on five hits to earn his fifth win of the year. The Rox would score two more times in the ninth, but the result was decided.
Overall, the Grizzlies ended up with 19 hits as a team, a season-high by five, while their 10 runs and 12 hits in the second were the most in any inning in club history dating back to at least 2009.
The Grizzlies will look to keep their newfound momentum rolling in the rubber game against the Rox on Thursday, June 18. Ty Good will draw the starting assignment on the mound against Brockton southpaw Eli Majick, with first pitch at Campanelli Stadium 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.