Ridings Sparkles As Grizzlies Take Down Slammers

The Gateway Grizzlies got a stellar start on the mound from Steven Ridings (2-1), who blanked the Joliet Slammers on just one hit over six innings, while the offense amassed 13 hits and scored two runs in four different innings en route to an 8-4 win at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet on Wednesday night.

Gateway threatened to score in each of the first two innings against Cam Aufderheide (4-4), but could not get the big hit until the third, when Jay Prather gave the Grizzlies the lead with two outs on a single to make it 2-0. After the Slammers put the tying runs in scoring position in the bottom of the frame, but did not score, the Grizzlies added two more runs on an RBI groundout by Andrew Penner and a wild pitch by Aufderheide, doubling their lead to 4-0.

The Grizzlies would not stop on this night- in the sixth, with two outs, Isaac Benard and Zach Racusin knocked in one run each on RBI hits to make it 6-0. Then, in the seventh, Cesar Trejo would single home Trevor Achenbach for a 7-0 lead before Abdiel Diaz brought in Trejo on a sacrifice fly for an 8-0 advantage.

Ridings, meanwhile, ended his start by retiring the final eight batters he faced to keep the Slammers at bay. Joliet would score four runs in the bottom of the seventh after Ridings departed, but they would not get closer, as Nick Kennedy and Lukas Veinbergs held the home team off the board in the late innings to clinch the road series win for Gateway.

Offensively, eight of the nine batters in the Grizzlies order had at least one hit, with five garnering multiple hits in the contest. Seven of the nine batters scored a run as well, with six recording an RBI as Gateway pulled into a tie with the Slammers at 24-24 in the West Division standings.

The Grizzlies will now look to sweep Joliet on Thursday night, July 7, in the series finale at Duly Health and Care Field. Justin Ferrell will start against southpaw Cole Cook, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT.

The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies offer baseball fans affordable, family fun at GCS Credit Union Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. They have also won two Frontier League Organization of the Year Awards, three West Division titles, and the 2003 Frontier League Championship. For tickets or general information, please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.

The Frontier League debuted in 1993, and is the largest of the Major League Baseball Partner Leagues, featuring teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2022 schedule can be found at frontierleague.com.