SAUGET, Ill. – The bats were live all game at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, but the Lake Erie Crushers strung together seven runs in the 7th inning to hand the Gateway Grizzlies an 11-6 loss.
Gateway’s Jay Prather opened the scoring with a solo homerun in the bottom of the 1st. After Lake Erie answered back on a Steven Kraft RBI single in the top of the 3rd, Axel Johnson tacked on one of his own in the bottom half to make it 2-1 Grizzlies.
Lake Erie retook a 4-2 lead and established some cushion in the 5th, bringing home three on RBI doubles from former Grizzlie Shawon Dunston Jr. and Connor Oliver plus a Brody Wofford RBI single. Gateway responded with two runs in the bottom half to even the score at 4. Next inning, Abdiel Diaz and Ty Moore slapped RBI singles to put the Grizzlies back in front 6-4.
However, the lead was short-lived. The Crushers came back up in the top of the 7th and did not relent, finishing the frame with seven runs on six hits while also taking advantage of three Grizzlies errors.
Lake Erie RHP Taylor Sugg (1-1) earned the win after two innings of relief. Gateway LHP Cody Thompson (0-2) took the loss after the shelling in the 7th.
The Grizzlies face the Crushers in game two of the series at GCS Credit Union Ballpark Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. and you can listen live on YO Radio or watch on Frontier League TV starting with the Budweiser Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m.
