SAUGET, Ill. – The Gateway Grizzlies jumped out in front early but couldn't hold on to their slim lead. Southern Illinois clinched the series with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night.
The game started off with two and half scoreless innings. Gateway struck first with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Terry McClure and Brent Sakurai both hit two-out RBI singles to give the Grizzlies an early 2-0 lead.
Gateway starter Will Anderson held Southern Illinois scoreless through the first five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth.
Southern Illinois second baseman Brett Wiley started the inning with a double, and came around to score on a single by former Grizzlie Craig Massoni. Southern Illinois tied the game on a double, and then took a 3-2 lead on an RBI groundout by catcher Zach Taylor shortly after.
Anderson finished the day with a 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing three runs off of seven hits. He walked three and struck out two.
Three straight Grizzlies reached base to start the home half of the sixth inning. Terry McClure scored on a groundout to second base and tied the game at three. Southern Illinois answered quickly. The Miners regained the lead for good in the seventh on an RBI single by Will Martin. Gateway was shut out through the final three innings for the second straight night. FINAL SCORE: Southern Illinois 4, Grizzlies 3.
Gateway will be back in action Thursday night in the series finale against Southern Illinois at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. All of the action can be heard on the Grizzlies Media Network.
ABOUT THE GATEWAY GRIZZLIES: The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 100-yards from I-255 (10 minutes from downtown St. Louis). The Grizzlies offer baseball fans entertainment, the likes of which are difficult to find - affordable, family, fun in the comfortable GCS Credit Union Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. For tickets or general information please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call 618.337.3000.
ABOUT THE FRONTIER LEAGUE: The Frontier League is celebrating its 25th season as a professional, independent baseball organization. Since its inception, the Frontier League has provided millions of fans to a fun and exciting baseball experience within the American Midwest. Consisting of 12 teams in two divisions and 96 game schedules, the league is recognized for the amount of talented athletes that are picked up by various MLB teams every year.
