The Gateway Grizzlies used a two-run home run by Kyle Gaedele to take their first lead of the series against the Washington Wild Things on Thursday night at Wild Things Park, and used clutch pitching to hold the advantage in a 2-1 victory, salvaging the series finale in Pennsylvania.
The victory is their 49th win of the 2023 season, clinching a winning season for the club for the first time since 2014. It also lowered their magic number to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2012 down to five with 16 games remaining.
Lukas Veinbergs (8-3) pitched yet another brilliant game at Wild Things Park, allowing just one run on three hits over six innings to earn his eighth win of the year. The lone mistake he made came in the bottom of the third inning, when Anthony Brocato hammered a hanging breaking pitch over the left field fence for his 25th home run of the season as Washington took a 1-0 lead.
In the next inning, though, it was Washington starter Hayden Shenefield (2-4) who hung a breaking ball that turned into the game-winning hit. With one out, after Andrew Penner singled up the middle, Gaedele blasted the 0-2 hanger over the left field wall for his seventh homer in only 21 games with the Grizzlies and his first on the road, giving Gateway the 2-1 advantage.
The Grizzlies would have numerous opportunities to add insurance to the lead in the later frames, stranding 10 of their 13 runners on base for the game after they took the lead, including leaving the bases loaded twice. But Veinbergs and the bullpen stood tall- Alec Whaley pitched a scoreless seventh, and Brian Eichhorn worked around a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless eighth. Josh Lucas then nailed down his third save with a flawless ninth that included two strikeouts as the Grizzlies took the series finale and finished with a winning record against Washington in 2023 (5-4).
Gateway will look to carry the momentum from the win into their next series against the Lake Erie Crushers in Avon, Ohio, kicking off the set on Friday, August 18, at 6:05 p.m. CT. Rookie Parker Johnson will seek his first professional win in the opener against Lake Erie right-hander Stephen Chamblee at Mercy Health Stadium.
Mick Lite served for 12 years in the military and is now an entrepreneur and photographer. Has worked as the official scorer and social media manager for the River City Rascals, Statistician for the Missouri Monsters and St. Louis Attack arena football teams, and as the Team Photographer and social media consultant for the St. Charles Chill, SLU Hockey, St. Louis Slam, and Gateway Grizzlies.
