Dominic Topoozian hurled seven innings and allowed only one Joliet Slammers run to lead the Gateway Grizzlies to a 2-1 win Friday night in the series opener at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
Gateway (26-36) has won back-to-back games. Topoozian (5-4) earned his first win since June 19 and lowered his ERA to 3.16 for the season.
Joliet (25-38) took a third-inning lead on a solo home run from Jimmy Roche, but Topoozian allowed only two other hits and struck out a season-high five batters.
Luis Román doubled to lead off the seventh inning and scored on a Shawon Dunston Jr. RBI single; Dunston Jr. then came in to score and give the Grizzlies the lead when Zak Taylor looped a single into left-center field.
Gateway improved to 5-29 this season when trailing after the fifth inning.
Lucas Lanphere tossed a perfect eighth inning for a hold and Geoff Bramblett, pitching for the third time in as many days, threw a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout for his sixth save of the season in six chances.
Román and Gunnar Buhner had the Grizzlies’ two multi-hit games Friday.
Gateway and Joliet will continue their four-game series with game two Saturday at 7:05 p.m. CDT. Chris Carden(5-1, 3.60) is scheduled to start for the Grizzlies.