Another Comeback Bid Falls Short, Grizzlies Drop Series to Giants
CalL Fresno Grizzlies

Another Comeback Bid Falls Short, Grizzlies Drop Series to Giants

Published on May 31, 2026 under California League (CalL)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


FRESNO, Calif.-The Fresno Grizzlies erased a four-run deficit with their biggest inning of the series, but could not complete the comeback Sunday afternoon, falling 8-7 to the San Jose Giants at Chukchansi Park to wrap up a frustrating six-game set.

Fresno rallied from behind twice and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but the Giants answered every punch to claim the series and hand the Grizzlies their fourth straight loss.

For much of the afternoon, Fresno found itself playing uphill after San Jose capitalized on early miscues. Isaiah Barkett opened the game with a ground-rule double and later scored when a ball off the bat of Jhonny Level was misplayed in center, giving the Giants a quick 1-0 lead before Riley Kelly settled in with three strikeouts in the opening frame.

The Grizzlies answered in the third with a spark from the bottom of the order. Jesus Freitez and Jeremy Ciriaco opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Clayton Gray moved both runners into scoring position.

Roldy Brito came through with an RBI single to right, plating Freitez to tie the game at one and briefly shifting momentum back toward Fresno.

That momentum disappeared an inning later as San Jose jumped back ahead. Hayden Jatczak singled to open the fourth before Dario Reynoso launched a two-run homer to left field, his sixth of the season, pushing the Giants back in front 3-1 and ending Kelly's afternoon after 3.1 innings.

Fresno's bullpen kept the game from spiraling further, with Manuel Olivares stranding traffic and later helping limit additional damage after San Jose added a run in the fifth and another in the sixth to stretch the lead to 5-1.

With the offense quiet through six innings, Fresno finally found life in the seventh in an inning that felt like the release of three games worth of frustration.

Jeremy Ciriaco worked a walk and Clayton Gray followed with a single before Roldy Brito ripped a ground-rule double to right, bringing home Fresno's second run.

Derek Bernard followed with his first triple of the season, driving in two to suddenly pull the Grizzlies within one, and moments later Tanner Thach punched a game-tying single into center to erase the four-run deficit and send Chukchansi Park into a frenzy.

The comeback, however, proved short-lived. San Jose immediately responded in the eighth when Hayden Jatczak doubled and later scored on Fernando Gonzalez's RBI single to reclaim the lead at 6-5.

Fresno nearly escaped further damage after Seth Clausen entered, but the Giants loaded the bases before Tanner Thach and Freitez combined on a heads-up double play at the plate to cut down a run and keep the deficit manageable.

San Jose created breathing room again in the ninth. After Isaiah Barkett walked to open the inning, Jhonny Level lined an RBI double to center and later came around on Jatczak's sacrifice fly, pushing the Giants lead to 8-5 and leaving Fresno once again in need of late magic.

The Grizzlies did not go quietly. Clayton Gray opened the ninth with a single and Roldy Brito reached on a throwing error to put two aboard with nobody out.

Derek Bernard struck out, but Tanner Thach delivered again, lining a two-run single to left to trim the deficit to one and bring the tying run aboard.

Fresno ultimately could not finish the rally as Carlos Renzullo grounded into a force play and Luis Mendez bounced out to first to end the afternoon.

Thach finished with two hits and two RBI, while Brito reached three times and drove in a run as part of a two-hit day. Bernard collected his first triple of the season and two RBI during Fresno's seventh inning eruption, while Clayton Gray scored twice and finished with three hits at the top of the lineup.

Fresno outhit San Jose 12-10 but struck out 10 times and left key opportunities on the table throughout the afternoon.

The Grizzlies will look to rebound against the Lake Elsinore Storm as they continue their longest homestand of the season on Tuesday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:50pm at Chukchansi Park.

Check out the Fresno Grizzlies Statistics

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California League Stories from May 31, 2026


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