MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -WASHINGTON, PA-The Gateway Grizzlies built a 5-0 first-inning lead and hit four home runs Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough to earn a series sweep in Washington. The Wild Things came back to score a 12-9 win and avoid the sweep at Consol Energy Park.

The Grizzlies (5-8) finished their first road trip of the year at 3-3.

Charlie Lisk got the Grizzlies on the board early Thursday, connecting on his fourth home run of the year, a grand slam, to put the Grizzlies up 4-0. Joseph Scaperotta followed with a hit, stole second and went to third on an error. Jareck West drove him in with a single to put the Grizzlies up 5-0.

Lisk finished the night 2-5 with the slam and four RBIs. He now has 14 RBIs, in seven games, to lead the team. West was 2-4 with the RBI.

Washington (3-9) got a pair of runs in the third to cut into the lead before Stephen Holdren homered to make it 6-2 Grizzlies in the fourth.

The Wild Things scored five runs on five hits in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead and chase Grizzlies starter Justin Lilly. Lilly lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing six runs.

Brandon Peters evened the score at seven with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. It stayed that way until the seventh. Washington outfielder Phil Laurent connected on Zach Gray’s 3-2 pitch for a solo home run and Chris Sidick added an RBI hit to put the Wild Things up 9-7. Gray allowed the two runs over two innings of work. He suffered the loss and drops to 0-2.

Washington would push the advantage to five runs on a three-run homer by Matt Sutton in the bottom of the eighth.

Scaperotta and Stephen Douglas hit back-to-back two-out home runs in the ninth for the final margin. Scaperotta finished 2-5 with the homer, his fourth of the year.

The Grizzlies return home to begin a three-game series with the Florence Freedom at GCS Ballpark. First pitch Friday night is set for 7:05 pm.

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