GRIZZLIES LOSE BACK-AND-FORTH SLUGFEST
SAUGET, Ill. — The Gateway Grizzlies took a 4-0 lead in the first inning Saturday night but let it slip away in a tightly contested 10-8 loss to the Windy City ThunderBolts at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
Gateway (32-44) hit three home runs — two from Luke Lowery and one from Dustin Woodcock — and held a lead as late as the fourth inning.
Lowery's two blasts gave him 10 home runs for the season to lead the club. Woodcock is close on his heels with nine dingers — and the rookie out of SIUE has done his damage in only 39 games since he signed.
Lowery drove in the Grizzlies' first two runs with a double. Zak Taylor drove in Lowery and Luis Román knocked Taylor in to reach the 4-0 Grizzlies lead.
Windy City (32-45) evened the three-game series at a game apiece with the win. The ThunderBolts scored three runs in the second inning and two more in the third to immediately take the lead back from the Grizzlies in the early going.
Gateway scored a run each in the third and fourth innings on a Román RBI groundout and Lowery's first homer of the night, respectively, but fell behind again when the 'Bolts picked up three runs in the fifth.
After the Grizzlies tied the game in the sixth on back-to-back solo home runs from Woodcock and Lowery, the ThunderBolts scored two final runs in the eighth inning and held on for the win.
Grant Black (1-5) took the loss in relief. Grizzlies starter Jordan Barrett allowed eight runs (all earned) over 4 1/3 innings and struck out five ThunderBolts.
Lowery finished 3-for-4 with two round-trippers and four RBIs to continue a fantastic last three weeks for him. Woodcock, Taylor, Brent Sakurai, and Shawon Dunston Jr. all added multi-hit games of their own.
Gateway and Windy City will finish their three-game set and 12-game season series with a 6:05 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
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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.