SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies had an early 2-1 lead in the rubber game of the three-game series against the Schaumburg Boomers on Thursday night, but gave up two home runs in a four-run fifth inning that sealed their fate in a 5-2 loss at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
The Boomers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning against Gage Vailes (2-1), but got just one run on a double-play ground ball off the bat of Anthony Calarco to take a 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies answered in the bottom of the frame when Gabe Holt and Victor Castillo led off with back-to-back singles against Schaumburg starter Cole Cook (4-1), with Mark Shallenberger hitting a two-run single to center field with two outs to make it 2-1 Grizzlies.
Vailes was able to work around traffic on the bases in the next few frames as well to hold the lead, but the dam broke for the Gateway starter in the fifth inning when Andrew Sojka tied the score on a leadoff solo home run, making the score 2-2 with his ninth RBI of the series. After a walk and a single, Michael Gould put the Boomers ahead with his third homer of the series, a three-run shot to left field.
Bennett Stice and Jett Thielke were able to keep Schaumburg off the board the rest of the way, as both pitched two scoreless innings in their pro debuts after being signed earlier in the day, but the Grizzlies were also unable to solve Cook for the rest of the game, as the left-hander pitched eight innings and struck out nine for the 5-2 win.
Now at 20-15 on the season, Gateway will look to bounce back when their home stand continues Friday, June 20, when they welcome the Mississippi Mud Monsters to Sauget for the first time. Ben Harris will make his home debut on the mound for the Grizzlies, while Mississippi will counter with Joshua Paulina. First pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Pitching Struggles, Grizzlies Drop Middle Game to Boomers
The Gateway Grizzlies allowed a season-high 17 runs on Wednesday night, nine of which came in the top of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie in what eventually became a 17-10 loss to the Schaumburg Boomers at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
For the second night in a row, the Boomers got a 4-0 lead in the first two frames, this time with three runs in the first inning and one in the second, three of which scored with two outs. Gateway got on the board in the bottom of the second on an RBI fielder’s choice by Edwin Mateo, then tied the game in the third inning when Victor Castillo and D.J. Stewart hit back-to-back home runs to make it 4-4.
Michael Gould hit a solo home run leading off the next half inning against Claudio Galva, but the Grizzlies got that run back in the bottom of the fourth when Gabe Holt beat out a throw from shortstop for a two-out infield RBI single, knotting the score at 5-5.
In the top of the sixth inning, however, things crumbled for Gateway on the mound. The Boomers loaded the bases on two walks and a double off Dom Velazquez (1-1) to lead thingsoff, and after a pitching change, a two-run double to right field by Bren Spillane off Alvery De Los Santos gave Schaumburg a 7-5 lead. De Los Santos then got the second out of the inning on a ground ball to shortstop, and intentionally walked Anthony Calarco after falling behind in the count before Banks Tolley hit an RBI single to make it 8-5. Andrew Sojka then cleared the bases with a double, putting Schaumburg up 11-5, and after a walk, Gould came up and hit his second homer of the night, a three-run shot to left that capped the nine-run frame and made the score 14-5 Boomers.
Schaumburg would add two more runs in the seventh inning to lead 16-5, and the Grizzlies responded with five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning thanks to RBI hits by Mark Shallenberger, Abdiel Diaz, Cole Brannen, and Tanner Garrison, but could not get closer in dropping the middle contest of the midweek series.
The Grizzlies and Boomers will face off on Thursday night in a rubber game to decide the series on June 19, with Gage Vailes drawing the starting assignment against Schaumburg left-hander Cole Cook. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
