Grizzlies Take Out Otters in Wire-to-Wire Win
Gateway scores three in the first, adds on late to defeat Evansville
SAUGET, ILL. – The Grizzlies clinched back-to-back series wins and won their third game in a row on Wednesday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, taking the middle game of the midweek series over the Evansville Otters by a final score of 7-2.
Blake Peyton (1-2) started for Gateway and successfully worked around a lot of traffic to begin his outing. Evansville loaded the bases with nobody out to begin the game, but Peyton would exit the frame with no runs coming across. That set Gateway up for a big first inning, as Bryson Horne got the Grizzlies on the board with a three-run home run off Otters' righty Ryan Wiltse (0-1).
The traffic wouldn't cease against Peyton in the next two innings, but the southpaw buckled down. Evansville scored a run in the top of the second on an RBI single from Amani Jones, and another in the third on a sacrifice fly, but could not equalize against Peyton, who completed five innings and earned his first professional win on the mound.
The 3-2 score would stick until the bottom of the fifth inning when Davie Morgan crushed his first home run of the season over the left field wall, doubling the Grizzlies' lead to 4-2. Gateway then added on in the sixth when Victor Castillo hit a sharp ground ball right under the legs of Marcos Gonzalez at third base, with the error plating Horne for a 5-2 lead.
More insurance runs came for Gateway in the bottom of the eighth. After Horne collected his fourth hit of the evening, Tate Wargo singled and Castillo walked to load the bases. Trying to work out of the jam, Evansville reliever Matt Parenteau spiked a breaking ball, scoring Horne from third base along with Wargo all the way from second base on the wild pitch, accounting for the final margin
Now winners in four of their last five games since being swept at Bosse Field last week, Gateway will go for their own sweep over the Otters on Thursday night, sending Xander Lovin to the mound to oppose Ben Petschke. First pitch at Arsenal BG Ballpark is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.
The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at Arsenal BG Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, four West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.
The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2026 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.