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Fresno Grizzlies

Grizzlies fall just short after thrilling 8th inning rally

April 30, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


The Fresno Grizzlies wound up on the short end of a thriller Friday evening at Chukchansi Park, in front of the second-largest crowd of the season (9,643), and the largest since opening night. El Paso led four separate times en route to a 6-5 victory, despite a three-run Fresno rally in the eighth inning to tie the game.

El Paso struck first in the first, with an Alex Dickerson RBI double, scoring Carlos Asuaje after his double led off the game. Fresno answered with a RBI double of their own, off the bat of A.J. Reed (1-2, 3 BB). It was Reed's club-leading 17th run driven in of the season, extending his team-best current hit streak to six games. The Chihuahuas re-took the lead in the second, on a Diego Goris RBI single, scoring Jason Hagerty after his leadoff double.

Jon Singleton (2-4, BB) tied it again in the third with a solo blast to left field to beat a shift; it was Singleton's second consecutive game with a homer, and he's now hit safely in four of his last five. His fiffh home run of the season tied Reed for the club lead. El Paso answered with their only homer of the night in the fourth, when Jason Hagerty went yard in the fourth following a James Loney single, for a two-run shot and a 4-2 lead. That remained the score until the eighth, when a Loney RBI double made it 5-2.

The home half of the eighth saw Fresno send eight batters to the plate, collecting four hits and a walk, scoring thrice thanks to a bases-loaded two-run single to right by Colin Moran (15 RBI), followed a batter later by Singleton's second RBI of the night, a line single to left, sending the big Friday crowd into a frenzy.

In the top of the ninth however, the back and forth affair stayed true to form, when Ryan Schimpf led off with a double. After a sac bunt and a sac fly off the bat of former Grizz Nick Noonan, Schimpf trotted home for a 6-5 lead as the eventual winning run.

The Grizzlies nearly pulled off what would have been their largest comeback win of the season, despite striking out a season-high 15 times, and leaving a season-high 15 runners on base. The Grizz dropped to 3-3 this season in one-run games, their first such loss at home.

Neither starter lasted past the fifth inning; Fresno's Brady Rodgers went four and a third innings, allowing four runs (all earned) on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Carlos Pimentel went four innings, allowing five hits and two runs (both earned) with three walks and six strikeouts for El Paso. James Hoyt (0-2) was the victim of El Paso's ninth, saddled with the loss. Derek Eitel (1-0) picked up the win, tossing an inning and a third of scoreless, hitless relief to end the game.

Game three of this four game series, part of an eight-game Grizzlies homestand through May 5, is set for Saturday night at 7:05. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (0-4, 11.00) will start for El Paso, opposite RHP Mike Hauschild (1-2, 6.35) for Fresno.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 30, 2016


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