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PCL1 Fresno Grizzlies

Andrew Susac's Homer And Behind The Plate Presence Help Lead Fresno To Victory

July 19, 2014 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno Grizzlies (48-52) used a second inning rally and outlasted the El Paso Chihuahuas (49-51) Friday night by a score of 3-1 in front of 6,467 fans at Chukchansi Park. Five of the last six games for the Grizzlies have been decided by two runs or less.

Catcher Andrew Susac recorded the first run of the night in the second when he slammed a leadoff homer (10) into the left-center field pool party. He becomes the third Grizzlies' player to record double-digit home runs this season (also, Adam Duvall and Chris Dominguez).

A decisive moment came later in the same inning when Juan Perez stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. The right fielder tapped a slow roller to third baseman Jonathan Galvez, who saw the ball roll under his glove, allowing two runs to score. The two-out error by Galvez ended up being the winning runs for Fresno.

Armed with a three-run lead in the top of the third, left-handed starter Jose De Paula (W, 4-3) protected it on way to his third straight win. De Paula retired five straight from the end of the first until pitcher Jason Lane connected on a one-out homer. The homer marked the only damage De Paula allowed as he limited the Chihuahuas to three hits over 5.0 innings pitched.

De Paula is now 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) and 15 strikeouts in his last four starts. Since rejoining the rotation on June 30th, De Paula has lowered his ERA from 5.52 to 3.91. He hasn't allowed more than four hits in any of the four outings and has thrown at least 5.0 innings in each of the last three.

The solo homer by Lane was the first and last time the Chihuahuas saw home plate as De Paula threw a scoreless fourth and fifth before giving way to Jake Dunning (H, 2.0 IP), Erik Cordier (H, 1.0 IP), and Heath Hembree (S, 1.0 IP).

Heath Hembree's appearance gives him a league-leading 33 games finished, while his 17 saves rank second.

The Fresno Grizzlies will face off against the El Paso Chihuahuas for the third game of the series on Saturday, July 19th with left-handed pitcher Mike Kickham (6-5, 3.57) facing El Paso righty Bill Buckner (4-3, 4.76). Disney's Olivia Holt will be on-hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, take photos and sign autographs for fans along the concourse on the first-base side.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Chukchansi Park Box Office, located on the corner of H and Kern Streets. The Box Office will be open at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.FresnoGrizzlies.com or by calling 559.320.TIXS.

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