The Gateway Grizzlies secured a 5-4 win against the Evansville Otters on Wednesday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, clinching the game with a crucial sacrifice fly by Edwin Mateo in the eighth inning and holding off a late rally in the ninth.
Evansville took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on three singles and an RBI fielder’s choice by J.T. Benson against Gateway starter Julian Berinti. The Grizzlies turned to reliever Bennett Stice, who delivered four solid innings to steady the game and allow Gateway to mount a comeback.
In the third inning, Edwin Mateo and Abdiel Diaz sparked a rally with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice bunt by Cole Brannen and a walk to Gabe Holt loaded the bases. Victor Castillo’s ground ball was mishandled by Evansville’s shortstop Pavin Parks, resulting in an error that allowed Mateo and Diaz to score, giving Gateway a 2-1 lead.
The Otters tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with two-out hits, but the Grizzlies responded in the bottom half. The lower order ignited another rally, capped by Gabe Holt’s RBI double down the third base line, reclaiming a 3-2 lead.
Gateway extended their lead to 4-2 in the seventh, taking advantage of another error by Parks, with Holt driving in a run via a sacrifice fly. Evansville fought back in the eighth, tying the game at 4-4 on a two-out, two-run homer by Keenan Taylor that stayed just fair down the left field line.
In the bottom of the eighth, D.J. Stewart led off with a double against Nick McAuliffe (1-3). Mark Shallenberger was hit by a pitch—his league-leading 16th of the season—and Jose Alvarez drew a walk, loading the bases. Mateo delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly, scoring Stewart for a 5-4 lead.
In the ninth, Evansville’s leadoff single against Keegan Collett put the tying run on base. After retiring the next two batters, Collett issued a walk to Graham Brown, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Collett sealed the win by striking out J.T. Benson swinging.
The Grizzlies and Otters will face off in a series-deciding rubber match on Thursday, June 26, at Arsenal BG Ballpark, with first pitch set for 10:45 a.m. CT.
