Grizzlies cap off homestand with shutout victory

The Gateway Grizzlies capped off a 6-3 homestand at GCS Ballpark with a 3-0 victory against the Traverse City Beach Bums on Thursday night.

Gateway starter Will Landsheft tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings while reliever Jordan Wellander struck out every batter he faced to combine for a shutout in the rubber game win.

For the second straight outing, Landsheft (5-6) struck out 10 batters. He allowed just two baserunners in his first seven innings and ultimately threw 118 pitches.

The Grizzlies (36-35) struck against Michael Shrives (2-6) in the third as Sam Fischer popped a solo shot to left centerfield. \

Fischer’s second homer in as many nights gave Gateway a 1-0 advantage.

In the fifth, catcher Jason Scholl rocketed a pitch over the short porch in right field for his third blast of the season. The solo homer put the Grizzlies ahead 2-0 and they would tack on one more against Shreves with Zach Lavy’s sac fly in the sixth.

The Beach Bums (29-39) mounted their only rally in the eighth with Gateway leading 3-0. Landsheft walked Ryan Bottger to begin the frame while Jeff DeBlieux singled with two outs.

After Landsheft walked Marcos Derkes to load the bases, Wellander relieved him and struck out Casey Rodrigue to end the threat.

Wellander, who came into the game with a 1.85 ERA, fanned all four batters he faced as he struck out the side in the ninth. The Alabama native picked up his second save of 2016.

With the victory, Gateway won all three series in a nine-game homestand in the friendly confines of GCS Ballpark.

Gateway now heads to Schaumburg for the start of a three-game set against the Schaumburg Boomers on Friday night. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.

The game can be heard on the Grizzlies Radio Network, which airs Friday on 1400 AM KJFF and online at GatewayGrizzlies.

com/Radio. Sam Levitt will call the action.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Grizzlies cap off homestand with shutout victory."