FRESNO, Calif. - Brett Dowdy's grand slam capped a seven-run second inning and Drew Macias and Matt Antonelli each added two RBIs as the Portland Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak and held on to defeat the Fresno Grizzlies 12-10 Monday night at Chukchansi Park.Despite being out-hit 14-8 by Fresno, the Beavers (25-27) avoided the sweep, thanks to eight walks, four Fresno errors and their big second inning.
Chad Huffman added two hits for the Beavers, who scored more than seven runs in a game for the first time since May 11.
Joe Borchard had three hits, including his first two home runs for the Grizzlies (28-23), and Kevin Frandsen and Ryan Rohlinger also added three hits on the night as Fresno's five-game win streak ended.
Mike Ekstrom (3-1) gave up a hit over 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Grizzlies starter Steve Hammond (2-4) left the game after 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs (7 earned) on four hits and three walks and striking out four.
The Beavers took their first lead of the four-game series by exploding for seven runs during a second inning in which they tallied just two hits. Following two walks and an error to start the frame, Eliezer Alfonzo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the first run of the game. Antonelli then hit a two-run single to center, and, after another walk, Dowdy belted his grand slam to left to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead.
Borchard's solo shot in the bottom half of the second got Fresno on the board.
Fresno then put up a five-spot in the bottom of the fourth to chase Inman and creep back within a run at 7-6. The Grizzlies did most of their damage with four doubles by the first five batters of the inning, as Jesus Guzman, Adam Witter, Matt Downs and Rohlinger each hit two-baggers in the inning. A hit batsman and sacrifice fly later, Frandsen hit a two-out, two-run single off of Antonelli's glove at second.
But that was as close as the Grizzlies would get, with the Beavers getting runs back in each of the fifth and sixth innings on RBI doubles by Huffman and Macias.
Portland tacked on two more in the seventh without the aid of a hit. The Beavers loaded the bases with two walks and an error before Keiichi Yabu walked pinch-hitter Josh Alley and gave up an RBI forceout to Macias to give the Beavers an 11-6 advantage.
The Grizzlies scored two in the bottom of the seventh when Borchard knocked an RBI double and scored on a single by Rohlinger.
The Beavers got one more in the eighth when Will Venable doubled leading off the inning, stole third and came home on Craig Stansberry's RBI single.
In the bottom of the eighth, Frandsen tripled and scored on a broken-bat single by John Bowker to cut the Beavers' lead to 12-9.
Borchard's second homer of the night came in the ninth inning off Beavers closer Edwin Moreno.
Beavers starter Will Inman was knocked out of the game in the fourth after giving up six runs on eight hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings.
Moreno gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning but got the final three outs to record his fourth save.
The Beavers and Las Vegas 51s open a four-game set in Las Vegas Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. (Pacific).
NOTES: The grand slam was Dowdy's first since Aug. 24, 2008, when he took Tacoma's Jared Wells deep at PGE Park ... the last grand slams on the road for the Beavers came on July 16, 2007, when Pete Laforest and Peter Ciofrone both hit grand slams at Las Vegas ... the Beavers' seven-run second matched their highest-scoring inning of the season, which also game against Fresno, in the eighth inning of their 8-5 win at PGE Park on April 19 ... Grizzlies shortstop Frandsen committed three fielding errors through the first three innings, including two on consecutive batters with no outs in the third ... Beavers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was involved in a collision at home plate with the Grizzlies' Matt Downs, with both players leaving the game as a result ... Alfonzo's eight-game hitting streak came to an end, though the Beavers catcher drove in and scored a run before being replaced by Jose Lobaton in the bottom of the fifth ... 15 of the 16 starting position players in the game hit safely ... Stansberry extended his hitting streak to nine games with his eighth-inning RBI single ... the Beavers scored their first 11 runs on just five hits ... the Beavers fell one run shy of their season high of 13, set May 11 vs. Salt Lake.
Beavers Game File
MONDAY'S GAME: Beavers 12, Fresno 10
WINNING PITCHER: Ekstrom (3-1)
LOSING PITCHER: Hammond (2-4)
SAVE: Moreno (4)
HOME RUNS: Dowdy (2), Borchard 2 (2)
TUESDAY'S GAME: Portland (Josh Banks: 2-3, 2.14) at Las Vegas (Brad Mills: 0-6, 4.21), 7:05 p.m. (Pacific); live audio broadcast on KKAD AM-1550 and www.portlandbeavers.com. Follow the Beavers on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PortlandBeavers.
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