Ben Harris Dazzles, Grizzlies Shut Out Mud Monsters
Gateway starter pitches into the ninth, strikes out seven in dominant outing
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies came home to begin their longest home stand of the season on Friday night, and Ben Harris (4-2) pitched them to victory on the mound, tossing eight and one-third shutout frames while striking out a season-high seven batters in a 3-0 Gateway victory at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
Harris would be matched for four-plus innings by Mud Monsters left-hander Art Joven (3-1), but the Grizzlies broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Cole Brannen led off the inning with a hustle double down the right field line before moving over to third base on a productive groundout by Victor Castillo. That drew the Mud Monsters' infield in, and José Alvarez took advantage, singling up the middle to bring home Brannen for a 1-0 lead.
The Grizzlies then added on in the sixth with two outs when Davie Morgan popped a two-run home run over the right field wall, making the score 3-0. Harris, meanwhile, was in cruise control, taking a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning while ensuring no Mississippi batter even reached second base.
In the ninth inning, Harris ran into some trouble with Jackson Nicklaus singling to center field with one out. Back-to-back Mud Monsters batters then reached on errors that could have turned into game-ending double-plays, loading the bases for Mississippi and finally ending Harris' career-best effort.
Matt Hickey was called upon out of the Gateway bullpen with the potential tying runs on base and the lead run at the plate, and saved the shutout in the ninth, striking out Kyle Booker and getting Travis Holt to fly out to Brannen in center field, recording his second save of the year, and clinching the first shutout victory for Gateway this season.
The Grizzlies will look for their third win in a row Saturday night, June 6, in the middle game of the weekend series, with Ty Good drawing the starting assignment looking to continue his great stretch on the bump. First pitch between the Grizzlies and Mud Monsters is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
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.