Grizzlies Lose Fourth Straight
Gateway continues to struggle despite strong overall outing from Harris
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies returned home after being swept in New Jersey on Tuesday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, but continued to struggle in big moments, losing their fourth straight game to the Florence Y'alls, who broke a five-game losing streak, by a final score of 10-7.
Ben Harris (5-3) got the start, and surrendered a two-run homer to Hank Zeisler in the first inning, putting the Grizzlies behind immediately, but would settle in to retire nine Florence batters in a row after that, holding the line. He would end up striking out a career-best 11 batters in the game over six and one-third innings.
The Gateway offense got a run back in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Sawyer Smith, but would strand eight men on base in the first four frames against Florence's Nathan Lawson, failing to take advantage of numerous opportunities offensively.
Jackson Tucker's solo shot in the fifth inning made the score 3-1, and that's where the game would stay until the bottom of the sixth inning, when, after Lawson left the game, Davie Morgan came through with the big hit Gateway was looking for all night to that point- a two-run home run that knotted the score at 3-3.
But just like over the completed road trip, the Grizzlies could not make the lead stand up, as Dillon Baker hit his sixth home run of the season in just four games against Gateway, a go-ahead, two-run short-porch shot to right field, putting the Y'alls back ahead 5-3.
The bullpen would also permit three more runs in the top of the eighth and two more in the ninth, nullifying a stirring comeback attempt by the Gateway offense against Florence reliever Chase Hopewell in the bottom of the eighth. In that four-run inning, Cole Brannen came up clutch with an RBI double, while Smith made it an 8-7 game with an RBI single of his own, but the Grizzlies would leave the tying run standing on second base.
Gateway will again seek a streak-busting win on Wednesday night, June 24, at 6:30 p.m., sending Ty Good to the mound against Florence left-hander Evan Webster at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
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.