FOR RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2009

GRIZZLIES TOPPLE FIRST PLACE FREEDOM

SAUGET, IL-The Gateway Grizzlies hit three home runs Saturday night and sailed to an 11-3 win over the Florence Freedom in front of 5,352 at GCS Ballpark.

Florence (9-6) took advantage of a first-inning error to get on top and led 1-0 after one inning.

Stephen Douglas put the Grizzlies (6-9) up for good in the second inning. Douglas hit a three-run home run to make it 3-1 Grizzlies. Stephen Holdren tripled to lead off the third inning then scored on an RBI single by Charlie Lisk. Following a pair of walks, Phillip White lined his first professional home run over the left field wall, a grand slam, to make it 8-1 Grizzlies. Lisk added two more RBI hits, in the fourth and eighth innings, and Joseph Scaperotta hit his team-leading fifth homer of the year in the sixth to put the Grizzlies up 11-1.

The Freedom pushed two across in the top of the ninth to cut the margin to 11-3.

Holdren finished 3-5 and was a home run short of the cycle. He scored a pair of runs and leads the Frontier League with 19 runs scored. Lisk finished 3-5 with three RBIs, and is now hitting .490 (17-35) with 18 RBIs in nine games.

Adam Bowling (1-1) earned the win for the Grizzlies. Williams tossed 6.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Belleville native, and East St. Louis High grad, Charles Williams suffered the loss for Florence. Williams, making his first start of the year, allowed eight runs in 2.1 innings of work.

The Grizzlies and the Freedom will play the rubber game of the three game series Sunday night at GCS Ballpark. First pitch is set for 6:05 pm.

Joe Pott

Broadcaster

Gateway Grizzlies Frontier League Baseball