SAUGET, Ill. — The Gateway Grizzlies took a 3-2 lead in the first inning, but they immediately thereafter relinquished it in a 5-4 loss to the Evansville Otters on Tuesday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
Gateway (26-37) scored on three walks, a wild pitch and a two-out, two-run Justin Ellison double in his first at-bat back from a nearly month-long absence due to injury.
Evansville (30-30) followed a pair of runs in the first inning with two more in the second and an insurance tally in the sixth. The Otters hit three home runs Tuesday; the Grizzlies have allowed 12 round-trippers to opposing teams in four games on their current homestand and 68 big flies in 63 games this season.
Jeff Cardenas supplied a pinch-hit RBI double to score pinch-runner Paul Russo with two outs in the ninth, but Cardenas was stranded at second base to end the game. Russo entered for Brennan Morgan after Morgan’s one-out double.
Will Anderson (3-3) took the loss for the Grizzlies. He allowed five runs (all earned) over 5 1/3 innings and struck out seven. Colton Freeman, Chris Metrick and Grant Black combined to toss 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the Gateway bullpen. Black retired all four batters he faced and struck out two.
Ellison had the only Grizzlies multi-hit game.
Gateway and Evansville will continue their three-game series with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch Wednesday at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
