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The Gateway Grizzlies bunched together all their runs in one inning, scoring five times in the top of the sixth, while their pitching staff did not permit a single Windy City ThunderBolts runner to cross home plate in a 5-0 win at Ozinga Field on Friday night.
The first four innings were strikingly similar for Alvery De Los Santos (2-1) and Michael Barker (3-7), as neither pitcher allowed a run despite the opposing team having chances to break the 0-0 deadlock. Both teams would leave six runners on base in the first five innings against the other’s starter, but with one out in the top of the sixth inning, it was Gateway who would finally get on the board and take the lead.
Peter Zimmermann began the rally with a clean single to left field, and D.J. Stewart followed by reaching on an error by Windy City third baseman Reed Chumley. With no outs, after Zimmermann stole third base, Kyle Gaedele walked to load the bases, and Cole Brannen would also draw the base-on-balls (the sixth and final walk Barker would issue on the day) to force in a run and make the score 1-0 Grizzlies.
After a pitching change, Jose Alvarez came up with a clutch hit- a two-run single off the glove of a diving Christian Kuzemka at first base that increased the lead to 3-0. With men at the corners after the hit, Dale Thomas hit a ground ball to third base to bring in another run for a 4-0 lead, and Victor Castillo capped the rally with a two-out RBI single.
Armed with a 5-0 lead, De Los Santos would have to try and pitch through heavy rains that arrived in Crestwood almost as soon as the final out of the top of the sixth was recorded, but he did so for the shutdown inning, picking up his sixth and seventh strikeouts of the night while stranding two men on base. The right-hander ended up with six shutout innings in his second start of the season, allowing five hits while walking only one to go along with the seven strikeouts.
The Grizzlies’ bullpen kept the ‘Bolts off the board in the late innings after a 45-minute weather delay as well, as Gateway picked up their ninth shutout win of the season in taking the series opener on the road. They will go for the series victory in the middle contest on Saturday, August 17, at 6:05 p.m. CT. Deylen Miley will get the start opposite Windy City’s Will Armbruester on the mound at Ozinga Field.
