Grizzlies’ Bats Go Quiet in Loss to Evansville
Vailes delivers another quality start, but offense cannot offer support
SAUGET, ILL. – The Gateway Grizzlies could not rally their bats on Thursday night at Arsenal BG Ballpark, dropping their final home game before the all-star break to the Evansville Otters by a score of 4-2 to sink to five games under .500 and 14-15 in Sauget.
Gage Vailes (3-2) was strong once again on the mound, throwing another "quality start." Evansville was able to scratch home the game's first run against him in the top of the third on an RBI groundout before getting two more in the fifth on a T.J. Salvaggio RBI double and wild pitch. But that 3-0 lead was the extent of the damage against the Grizzlies' all-star, as Vailes finished with six innings, three runs allowed and two strikeouts.
The Grizzlies squandered their best run-scoring chance of the night in the bottom of the third inning. With runners on second and third and nobody out against Garret Simpson (6-1), both Victor Castillo and Sawyer Smith struck out before a flyout ended the threat.
The first run instead came in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 3-1 when Mitchell Sanford opened the inning with a double and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Castillo. Cole Brannen then came through in the bottom of the seventh inning, working an excellent at bat with two outs and paying it off with a long home run to right field to make it a 3-2 game.
Gateway's backend bullpen trio of Andrew Ronne, Matt Hickey, and Julio Ortiz kept the game in reach for the Grizzlies after Vailes' departure, only allowing one run and striking out six combined, but the offense could not muster any additional runs, with Sanford's drive to right field being caught on the track with a man on base to end the game.
The loss is the Grizzlies' ninth in their last 10 home games overall, and they will seek a bounce-back effort when they complete their pre-All-Star Break schedule with a road series against the Schaumburg Boomers this weekend. Chicagoland native Ben Harris will kick off the series on the mound on Friday, July 10 against Boomers right-hander Ross Thompson, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT from Wintrust Field.
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.