Grizzlies Sweep Crushers to Conclude 2022
September 4, 2022 – Frontier League (FL) – Gateway Grizzlies News Release
Sauget, IL – The Gateway Grizzlies ended their season strong on the “Greatest Night in Baseball” by completing a sweep of the Lake Erie Crushers behind a great pitching performance from Carson LaRue (5-5), winning by a final score of 8-2 on Sunday night at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
In the top of the first inning, Jackson Valera hit a solo home run to left field to quickly give the Crushers a 1-0 lead. But the Grizzlies responded in the bottom of the frame when Kevin Krause launched his tenth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, to put the Grizzlies on top 2-1.
The score remained 2-1 into the bottom of the fifth inning when the Grizzlies resumed their offense. Abdiel Diaz led off the frame by hitting a solo home run over the right field wall. Three batters later with two outs, Isaac Benard hit a single, Krause drew a walk, and Zach Racusin drove in a run on an RBI single to make it a 4-1 Grizzlies lead. In the next inning, the Grizzlies led off with a single by Peter Zimmermann and a double by Trevor Achenbach. Diaz then drove in Zimmermann on a groundout to third base and Achenbach two batters later scored on a passed ball. Benard capped the inning with a long, two-run home run to right field to give the Grizzlies an 8-1 lead.
LaRue would then finish his final start of the season strong, pitching six innings and allowing just one run while striking out six batters to earn his fifth win of the season. Lake Erie would use a solo homer by Kenen Irizarry to make it 8-2 in the eighth inning, but would get no closer as the Grizzlies completed the sweep with their fourth consecutive win.
As a result, Gateway finished the season with a 47-49 overall record (the most victories on the field since winning 50 games in 2014), with GCS Credit Union Ballpark welcoming 75,766 fans this season over 50 home games in 2022, including 6,751 patrons Sunday in the season finale.
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