SAUGET, Ill. – Gateway struck first in the rubber match against Lake Erie, but the Crushers got the upper hand late to down the Grizzlies 4-1 on Thursday night.
The first three innings of the game were quiet, with neither team scoring and despite seven combined hits. Then, in the bottom of the 4th, Andres Regnault plated Ty Moore on a groundout to second base and gave the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead.
Gateway LHP Jordan Barrett had a gem going through five innings. The Elon alum had held the Crushers scoreless while allowing just four hits and punching out seven batters. However, the 6th inning would prove to be his downfall. Barrett gave up back-to-back walks with one out before a Karl Ellison RBI single and a Trevor Achenbach sacrifice fly put Lake Erie back in front 2-1. Two innings later, Steven Kraft and Trevor Achenbach added RBI singles to cushion the lead to 4-1 Crushers.
Lake Erie RHP Robby Rowland (1-1) earned his first win of the season with six innings of one-run baseball while RHP Daniel Kight (2) came on in the 9th to earn his second save. Barrett (0-2) took the loss despite the strong outing.
The Grizzlies hit the road tomorrow to start a three-game series with the Windy City Thunderbolts at Ozinga Field. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and you can listen live on YO Radio or watch on Frontier League TV starting with the Budweiser Pregame Show at 6:50 p.m.
