MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com-Five daytime starts, 24 weekend home dates, including July 4th weekend and a split-city, day-night double-header highlight the Gateway Grizzlies 2010 schedule released today by the Grizzlies and theFrontier League. The Grizzlies will play a 96-game schedule, including 48 home dates, extending from May 21 through September 5. 

The schedule will see the Grizzlies play 12 games against five West Division opponents and six games against six teams from the East division. 

The Grizzlies will open their 10^th Anniversary season in the Frontier League Friday May 21 at GCS Ballpark with the first of a three-game series against the Florence Freedom. Gateway then plays six of their next seven games on the road, including Saturday May 29th when they play a day-night double-header that has the Grizzlies and Rascals each hosting a home contest that day. The Grizzlies host the Rascals at 12:05 p.m. then travel to River City for a 7:05 p.m. contest.
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The Grizzlies home schedule will feature five daytime starts in 2009, including the May 29 game. May 23 the Grizzlies will host the Florence Freedom a 3:05 p.m. game in the first of three Sunday afternoon starts. August 8 against Normal and August 22 against Oakland County will also feature 3:05 start times.  The Grizzlies will host Evansville in a 12:05 start June 16.

Gateway closes the regular season with a six-game home stand August 31 through September 5.  Florence and Southern Illinois will each be in town for a three-game series.

The league remains at 12 teams for the 2010 season, with two changes. The Normal CornBelters join the league and compete in the West Division. The CornBelters will play in a newly-constructed ballpark in Normal, Ill.  The Midwest Sliders, who played last season in Ypsilanti, Mich., will move into their permanent home, in Oakland County, Mich., and will go by the nickname of Cruisers.

With the change in teams, the division structure has also changed. The Grizzlies will compete in the West division with Evansville, Florence, Normal, River City, and Southern Illinois. The Windy City Thunderbolts will shift to the East Division in 2010. 

The rest of the East Division features the Lake Erie (Ohio) Crushers, who captured their first Frontier League title in their inaugural season last year, the Kalamazoo Kings, the Oakland County Cruisers, the Traverse City Beach Bums and the Washington Wild Things. 

The playoff format will change from 2008. The top two teams in each division will advance to a best-of-five first-round series. Home field advantage will be awarded to the division winner in each series.  The winners of each series will meet in a best-of-five championship series. Home field advantage for the championship series will also be awarded via regular season record.

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