POMONA, NY. – The Gateway Grizzlies and New York Boulders played a holiday matinee to close out their weekend set on Sunday afternoon, and on Father’s Day, it was their eldest player that led the charge from the mound, as Zac Treece (1-1) turned in a gem by pitching six-plus innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 victory that clinched the road series at Clover Stadium.
For the second game in a row, the Grizzlies jumped on the New York starter right away in the top of the first, leading off the game with three straight singles against Garrett Coe (1-4) by Gabe Holt, Victor Castillo, and D.J. Stewart. A ground ball double play with the bases loaded off the bat of Dale Thomas then made it 1-0 Grizzlies.
Gateway did not stop there in giving their starter early run support. Holt came up again in the second inning with two outs, and lifted an RBI single to left-center field just out of the reach of Boulders shortstop Austin Dennis, doubling the lead to 2-0.
In the third inning, Stewart singled and Thomas doubled to lead off the frame before Mark Shallenberger continued his hot streak with a three-run, opposite-field home run, giving the Grizzlies a 5-0 cushion. Thomas would then crack a solo shot to left field down the line for a 6-0 advantage in the top of the fourth inning.
That gave the 35-year-old Treece extra breathing room, and in his second start of the season, the veteran turned in a brilliant performance, allowing just four hits and two walks in his first six innings pitched while shutting out a New York lineup that was coming off a 14-run, 16-hit contest the day before.
After Treece allowed a leadoff walk and single in the seventh inning, the Grizzlies went to the bullpen, and the Boulders got on the board by loading the bases for Ryan McCoy, who drew a walk to force in a run and break up the shutout. But Alec Whaley got out of the jam by striking out Alfredo Marte and getting Christian Ficca to pop out, preserving the lead at 6-1. Francis Peguero and Keegan Collett would then finish off the contest with scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, giving the Grizzlies their third win in their last four games as well as just their second road series win ever against a member of the Frontier League’s Atlantic Conference.
Now at 19-13 on the season after going 7-5 on their long road trip, Gateway will return home next to begin a nine-game home stand at Arsenal BG Ballpark on Tuesday, June 17, against the Schaumburg Boomers in a matchup of the top two teams in the West Division. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Grizzlies Beaten Up By Boulders
Gateway surrenders runs in seven of eight New York turns at-bat, will play rubber game Sunday
POMONA, NY. – The Gateway Grizzlies had an early lead on Saturday night against the New York Boulders, but could not hold the home team off the board for most of the night, giving up a season-high 14 runs in a 14-10 loss at Clover Stadium.
In the top of the first inning, Gateway got on the board right away, with Gabe Holt and Jose Alvarez leading off with singles, and D.J. Stewart reaching base on an error to make it 1-0 Grizzlies. Two batters later, Dale Thomas brought in a run with an RBI groundout for a 2-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the first inning, New York got one run back on a wild pitch by Alvery De Los Santos, but in the bottom of the second inning, a leadoff walk mushroomed into a three-run frame for the Boulders to take a 4-2 advantage. Jack Scanlon then hit a two-run home run in the third that made the score 6-2 after an additional leadoff walk.
The Grizzlies again showed their rally DNA in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs to tie the game up at 6-6 thanks to RBI hits by Holt and Stewart. But the pitching staff just could not hold the Boulders’ bats down- Fritz Genther doubled home the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the frame against Kenneth Schechter (0-1) for an 8-6 New York lead, and the Boulders would keep on scoring runs the rest of the way, plating at least one in each of the first seven frames of the contest, including multiple runs in five straight innings from the second to the sixth.
Trailing 13-6 after six innings, Gateway put up their second four-run inning of the game in the top of the seventh, with Victor Castillo hitting a two-run home run down the left field line to cut the deficit to 13-8. With two outs later in the inning and the bases loaded, Holt came up clutch again with a two-run single, making the score 13-10 and bringing the tying run up to the plate. But the Grizzlies got no closer in suffering the loss.
With the series even at one game apiece, Gateway and the Boulders will decide the weekend set in a rubber game on Sunday, June 15, at 12:00 p.m. CT before the Grizzlies make the long bus trip back home to Sauget.
Grizzlies Outlast Boulders in Extra-Inning Epic
Gateway edges New York in marathon series opener
POMONA, NY. – The Gateway Grizzlies and New York Boulders waited out an hour-and-a-half rain delay on Friday night at Clover Stadium, then went back and forth in what turned out to be an instant classic in the first game of a weekend set before the Grizzlies emerged victorious by a final score of 10-9 in 10 innings.
Gateway fell behind in the contest first on an Isaac Bellony solo home run off Ben Harris, but had an answer two innings later in the top of the fourth when Mark Shallenberger crushed a two-run homer of his own to right field, putting the Grizzlies in front 2-1. New York responded by scoring both runs right back on a Bellony double to re-take a 3-2 advantage.
The Grizzlies were then able to put together another one of their patented “big innings” offensively in the top of the fifth, batting around and scoring five runs to vault out to a 7-3 lead, with an RBI single by Jose Alvarez getting the inning started, and a pair of RBI doubles by D.J. Stewart and Shallenberger punctuating the frame. Yet again, the Boulders countered with two runs of their own, but Donovan Burke was able to strand the tying runs on base and keep Gateway in front 7-5.
The lead held until the seventh inning, and was expanded to 9-5 on a two-out, two-run double by Edwin Mateo, but the comeback for New York began with a one-out walk and two-base throwing error by Tanner Garrison, followed by an RBI single from Fritz Genther that made the score 9-6 in the bottom of the seventh. After a wild pitch brought in another run and made the score 9-7, New York tied the game on a two-run home run by Jack Scanlon with two outs off Matt Hickey, knotting the score at 9-9.
Both bullpens held the line late, sending the contest to extra innings, and in the third such game for the Grizzlies on their current road trip, it was finally the charm. Gabe Holt drove in the automatic baserunner in the International Tiebreaker with an RBI double on the first pitch of the inning by Parker Kruglewicz (0-1), giving Gateway a 10-9 lead. In the bottom of the inning against Alec Whaley (1-0), the Boulders pushed the veteran right-hander to the limit, advancing the tying run to third base and putting the winning run on with a two-out infield single. But Whaley got Austin Dennis to ground out to shortstop, bringing an end to the long night and giving the Grizzlies just their second win in eight games this year that have gone past regulation.
Having won back-to-back contests in dramatic fashion, the Grizzlies will look to make it three in a row on Saturday, June 14, in the middle game of the series at Clover Stadium. Alvery De Los Santos will get the ball on the mound for Gateway against New York’s Garrett Cooper, with first pitch at 5:30 p.m. CT.
