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The Gateway Grizzlies wrapped up their exhibition schedule with a 6-6 tie against the River City Rascals on Saturday night at GCS Ballpark.
LHP Corey Kimes got the start for Gateway and walked Johnny Morales with one out in the first inning. Dominique Taylor then singled to center and that was followed by Josh Silver’s RBI single to score Morales from second base. River City scratched across another run when Josh Ludy plated Taylor with a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.
Ludy struck again in the top of the third when he singled home Taylor with a single to center field.
After the Rascals scored another run in the fourth to make it 4-0, Ben Waldrip started the comeback for Gateway. The first baseman delivered a two-run blast to right field to cut the deficit in half. It was Waldrip’s first home run of the preseason schedule.
River City responded instantly in the the fifth when they manufactured a run. Clint Freeman led off the inning against Gateway RHP Vince Molesky with a single. He would come around to score on Morales’ sacrifice fly to extend River City’s lead to 5-2.
In the bottom half of the fifth, the Grizzlies continued to chip away. After two straight walks to start the inning, Gateway’s Vin Guglietti stepped to the plate and hit a sharp ground ball to Rascals first baseman Willi Martin, who had it bounce off his chest and roll away. Guglietti was credited with a hit and an RBI to make it 5-3.
Both teams traded runs in the seventh while Gateway pulled to within a single tally again in the eighth on Tyler Tewell’s RBI base hit.
The Grizzlies finally pulled even in the ninth when Brandon Thomas popped a solo homer to deep right field to lead off the frame. Although Sam Fischer would get reach safely with an infield single to put the winning run on base, Gateway was unable to plate him.
The Grizzlies opens up the 2016 regular season on Friday, May 13 against the Washington Wild Things at GCS Ballpark. The game can be heard on the Grizzlies Radio Network, which airs on 1400 AM KJFF and www.GatewayGrizzlies.com. Sam Levitt and Matt Sabados will call the action.
