BARRETT DAZZLES, BUT GRIZZLIES FALL IN EXTRAS
CRESTWOOD, Ill. — The Gateway Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning Sunday that they held until the eighth, but the Windy City ThunderBolts tied the game and later won it, 3-2, in 11 innings at Ozinga Field.
Gateway (31-39) was denied a season-long four-game winning streak for the third different time in 2019.
Two of the Grizzlies' three losses in would-be fourth straight wins have come against the ThunderBolts (30-42), who have won both by 3-2 final scores on walk-off hits. Dash Winningham hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth June 9 to win the first series finale in Crestwood for Windy City; Tyler Alamo hit a walk-off two-bagger of his own in the last of the 11th inning Sunday.
Gateway has yet to sweep a series in 2019.
Jordan Barrett was fantastic against the ThunderBolts again. He fired 5 2/3 innings and allowed only one hit — an Alamo solo home run in the second inning — while striking out nine and walking only two.
Over three starts against Windy City this year, Barrett has allowed only three earned runs over 18 2/3 innings (1.45 ERA) with 24 strikeouts, but the Grizzlies have lost all three games.
Gateway went hitless through the first 3 1/3 innings before Brent Sakurai doubled and came in to score on a Luke Lowery RBI single to tie the game in the fourth inning. Luis Román gave the Grizzlies a sixth-inning lead with a sacrifice fly that scored Connor Owings, who had tripled to ignite the rally.
After a Grizzlies error in the eighth inning, the ThunderBolts scored an unearned run when Grant Black walked Chase Cockrell on a borderline 3-2 pitch.
Geoff Bramblett (2-3) allowed an unearned run on Alamo's walk-off double and took the loss in the 11th inning.
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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 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 10 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.