Familiar Foes Hurt Grizzlies in Third Straight Loss

Gateway coughs up three-run lead for second straight night 

SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies got a three-run lead in the third inning for the second night in a row in their return to their home field, but also gave up the advantage again thanks to free passes and two-out damage, losing 8-5 to the Lake Erie Crushers on Friday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark.

Jose Cordoba opened the scoring in the first inning with a long solo home run in his first at-bat at home for the Grizzlies, making it 1-0 as Gateway scored the game's first run for the sixth straight contest. After Jarrod Watkins tied the game with a solo shot of his own in the third inning, the Grizzlies came up clutch at the plate, as Sawyer Smith cleared the bases with a double off the left-center field wall, with the two-out, bases-loaded knock making it 4-1 Gateway.

But the lead, again, did not hold. Reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Week Ben Harris (6-5), struggled in the intervening two innings, walking two and hitting a batter while giving up two runs in the fourth, and also walked two more in the fifth, with the Crushers taking a 6-4 lead thanks to a passed ball and a crucial, two-out error by Bryson Horne at first base.

Lake Erie would plate single runs in the sixth and the ninth down the stretch, with the latter with two outs to continue a week-long trend, while the Grizzlies could manage only one more run on a Darryl Lee solo shot in the seventh.

Now five games under .500 once again, Gateway will seek to snap their skid on Saturday, July 25, with Ty Good pitching against Crushers right-hander Gauge Lockhart at 6:30 p.m. CT 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.