CRESTWOOD, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies had a 2-0 lead in both ends of their doubleheader on Thursday night against the Windy City ThunderBolts, but squandered both leads, dropping the first game 5-2, and the second contest 4-3 in extra innings, taking a series loss at Ozinga Field after winning the series opener.
Zac Treece (0-1) got the start in game one, and pitched well through his first three innings, holding the home team off the board with three strikeouts in his first start in the Frontier League since 2014. The Grizzlies also gave him a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on an RBI single by Victor Castillo as well as an RBI groundout by Dale Thomas.
But things unraveled in the bottom of the fourth when, with a runner on base and one out, Dakota Kotowski hit a game-tying home run to center field to make it 2-2. A walk followed, then a single, and then a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Zach Beadle, making the score 3-2 Windy City.
The ThunderBolts also scored two insurance runs in the fifth inning for the final margin, as Gateway rapped out nine hits against Buddie Pindel (2-2), but could not get any more runs on the board with the right-hander pitching a complete game for the game one victory.
Game two started well for the Grizzlies, as Gabe Holt led off with a first-pitch single. After Castillo moved him to third base, D.J. Stewart hit a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 1-0 Gateway. In the top of the third, Cole Brannen led off with a double, went to third on a groundout, and scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.
But yet again, the Grizzlies let the early advantage slip away. After an infield single led off the bottom of the third inning, Garrett Broussard was balked to second base by Claudio Galva, with Kyle Harbison singling him home to make the score 2-1. James Dunlap then also singled Harbison to third base before a sacrifice fly by Michael Sandle tied the score at 2-2.
Neither team’s bullpen faltered after that frame, and the game went to extra innings still tied at 2-2. In the top of the eighth, Brannen stole third base before Castillo brought in the lead run with an RBI single. But in the bottom of the inning against Donovan Burke (0-1), Windy City again broke through, with Dunlap smashing an RBI triple down the right field line, and Cam Phelts winning the game with a base hit to center field, dropping Gateway to 1-5 in games decided past regulation on the season.
The Grizzlies will try and recover when their road trip continues on Friday night, June 6, in Joliet against the Slammers. Gage Vailes will start in the series opener for Gateway against Joliet southpaw Bryan Pena, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT.
