Grizzlies Suffer Sudden-Death Defeat in Mississippi
Gateway out-hit Mud Monsters 11-4, but can't pull out series opener
PEARL, MISS. – The Gateway Grizzlies failed to score in Sudden Death at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night, losing a roller coaster game to the Mississippi Mud Monsters 5-5 despite a commanding 11-4 edge in the hit column.
Free passes hurt Gateway starter Ty Good early in the ballgame, as a walk and hit by pitch both came around to score in the second inning when Brayland Skinner sent a three-run home run just over the right field wall and put the Mud Monsters up 3-0.
The Grizzlies got one of the runs back in the top of the fourth with a two-out rally against Mississippi starter Jackson Smith. Victor Castillo singled and immediately stole second base to put himself in position to score on Jose Alvarez's RBI single, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Castillo then produced another run in the sixth inning when he kept a solo home run fair down the right field line to bring the game closer at 3-2.
The Mud Monsters wasted no time extending the lead back to two in the bottom half of the sixth, chasing Good from the game with a leadoff walk before cashing it in with a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 advantage. Then, in the top of the seventh with two outs and the bases loaded, Bryson Horne came up clutch, tying the game up for Gateway with a single at 4-4.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the base-on-balls came back to bite them once again in the bottom of the eighth. Mississippi loaded the bases against Andrew Ronne on a single, hit by pitch, and error, ultimately scoring the go-ahead run on a walk drawn by Tevis Payne to make it 5-4 Mud Monsters.
The game was all but over in the top of the ninth, but mayhem ensued to benefit Gateway. With two outs and a runner on second base, Dale Thomas skied a fly ball to right-center field that was dropped following a collision between Payne and Skinner. Cole Brannen came around to score to tie the game up at 5-5 on the dramatic error.
After Julio Ortiz sent the game into extra innings on the mound with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, the Grizzlies could not capitalize in the top of the tenth with the International Tiebreaker in effect, striking out twice with the bases loaded against Chris Barraza. But Matt Hickey was also up for the challenge, buckling down to prevent the Mud Monsters' automatic runner from scoring, and sending the game into sudden death.
Mississippi elected to pitch, sending Brayden Sanders to the mound. When they needed it most, the Grizzlies were unable to get a final two-out base hit, failing to score and stranding the winning run at third base.
The tough loss pushes Gateway to 22-23 on the year, and they will look to rebound Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. CT in the middle game of the series at Trustmark Park, with Ben Gregory getting the start on the mound.
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.