SCHAUMBURG – The Gateway Grizzlies struggled to pitch in game one of the Midwest Conference Finals, losing 11-6 to the Schaumburg Boomers at Wintrust Field to fall behind 0-1 in the best-of-five series.
Gateway began the game by getting the lead immediately. Dale Thomas clubbed a solo home run to lead off the game in the top of the first inning, his third in three postseason games, to give the Grizzlies a 1-0. Two batters later, Victor Castillo hit his first home run of the playoffs to right field, making the score 2-0.
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That is where the good feelings stopped. Schaumburg batted around and scored four times in the bottom of the first inning, going ahead on a two-out, two-run double by Aaron Simmons to center field at 4-2. An Alex Calarco RBI single with one out in the third inning made the score 5-2.
Gateway would keep on scoring and getting hits the rest of the night, but each time they did, they surrendered runs right back. In the fourth, after an RBI double by D.J. Stewart got the Grizzlies within 5-3, a three-run, two-out homer by Banks Tolley in the bottom half expanded the deficit to 8-3. After the Grizzlies got a two-out run in the seventh on an RBI single by Mark Shallenberger, league MVP Anthony Calarco answered with his second RBI double of the game in the bottom half to make it 9-4.
Thomas would get his third hit and second homer of the game off Caleb Riedel in the top of the eighth, drawing the Grizzlies within 9-6, and Gateway eventually got the tying run to the plate later that inning, but yet again, the Boomers had an answer on Kyle Fitzgerald’s two-run blast to left field for the final margin.
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 10, in a critical Game 2 at Wintrust Field against the Boomers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
