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The Gateway Grizzlies had yet another historic performance on Tuesday night against the Florence Y’alls, this time on the hitting side, as Peter Zimmermann tied a Frontier League record by hitting three home runs, accounting for all five home team runs in a 5-2 game at Grizzlies Ballpark that gave Gateway their fifth straight win and lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to 3.
Zimmermann started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, taking a fastball from Florence starter Jonaiker Villalobos (4-8) deep over the center field fence for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Zimmermann came up with Victor Castillo on second base following a bunt single and an error, and again swung at the first pitch, blasting his second homer of the night over the left-center field wall to increase the Grizzlies’ advantage to 3-0.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Collin Sullivan (8-5) turned in one of his best starts of the year, as after he allowed a leadoff walk to Ed Johnson to kick off the ballgame, the right-hander bore down and retired the next 16 Florence batters he faced, then five more in a row after a one-out walk in the sixth inning, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth while tying his season-high in innings pitched.
Unfortunately, the no-hitter and shutout both came to an end with on swing from Zade Richardson, whose solo homer leading off the top of the eighth made the score 3-1. Stephen Hrustich then hit another solo shot over the short porch in right field to draw the Y’alls within one, and end Sullivan’s night.
Matt Hickey came in, though, and struck out the next three batters, and in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, Castillo singled and stole second base, putting him in the same position as Zimmermann’s previous homer. The third-year Grizzlie would then do it again off reliever Carter Poiry, smacking a two-run homer out to right-center field to become the first Gateway batter to hit three homers in a game since Frontier League Hall-of-Famer Landon Hernandez on July 30, 2014- coincidentally, at Florence.
Armed with a 5-2 lead, Leoni De La Cruz would emphatically bounce back from a rocky outing on Sunday at Windy City, striking out all three Y’alls batters he faced in the ninth for his 12th save of the season as the Grizzlies crept closer to the postseason.
Gateway will now look to tie their longest win streak of the season of six games on Wednesday, August 21, in the middle game of their three-game series against the Y’alls. Lukas Veinbergs will pitch for the Grizzlies against Florence’s Ty Good, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Grizzlies Ballpark.
