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Schaumburg, Ill. – In a game that saw 15 runs and 24 hits combined, the Gateway Grizzlies pulled away with a 9-6 win against the Schaumburg Boomers on Saturday night at Boomers Stadium. The Grizzlies (37-36) erased an early deficit and engaged in a back-and-forth battle until the late innings.
After the Boomers (32-40) put up four runs in the bottom half of the first inning against Gateway lefty Jon Jones, the Grizzlies responded in the third. Brandon Thomas laced a two-RBI triple into the right centerfield gap to cut Schaumburg’s lead in half and make it 4-2. Craig Massoni followed with a run-scoring  groundout to pull Gateway within a tally.
Boomers right-hander Brett Mabry struggled again in the fourth. Zach Lavy started the frame with a single while Josh Bunselmeyer reached on an error by Schaumburg second baseman Jordan Dean. Gateway catcher Jason Scholl then stepped in and rocketed a single into centerfield that was bobbled by Argenis Aldazoro. The ball rolled all the way to the warning track and both runners raced home to score as the Grizzlies took a 5-4 edge.
Cody Livesay capped off the rally by stroking a single up the middle of the diamond to bring in Scholl. The hit put Gateway ahead 6-4.
Schaumburg chipped away and would ultimately tie the game. In the bottom half of the fourth, Paul Kronenfeld hit an RBI single to make it 6-5. In the sixth, he hit another run-scoring single to tie the game at 6-6.
Mabry returned to the mound for the seventh. After recording the first two outs, he surrendered a towering solo shot to Gateway’s Ben Waldrip. Waldrip’s sixth homer of the season put the Grizzlies on top, 7-6.
Ja’Vaun West (2-4) shined out of Gateway’s bullpen. The righty tossed 2.1 scoreless frames while stranding the tying run on base in the eighth.
In the ninth, the Grizzlies tacked on two insurance runs. Will LaMarche entered in the bottom half of the ninth and shut the door for his fourth save of the season.
The Grizzlies and Boomers play the rubber game on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 1:00 p.m. The Grizzlies send LHP Corey Kimes (4-2, 4.00 ERA) to the mound against Schaumburg RHP Seth Webster (7-6, 4.29 ERA).
The game can be heard in the Grizzlies Radio Network, which airs Saturday on the web at www.GatewayGrizzlies.com/Radio
