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Beavers Battle Back For First Win Of Season

April 7, 2007 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


FRESNO, Calif. - Royce Huffman hit a game-tying double in the eighth inning, and Brett Dowdy scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch to give the Portland Beavers a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies in 11 innings Friday night at Chukchansi Park.

With the game tied at 4-4, Dowdy beat out an infield single and moved to third on a hit-and-run single through the right side of the infield by Craig Stansberry to start the 11th-inning rally. With Vince Sinisi at the plate, a curve ball from former Beaver Ryan Meaux got away from catcher Justin Knoedler, allowing Dowdy to score the go-ahead run. Sinisi followed with a single that scored Stansberry to make it 6-4.

Luis Cruz hit his first Triple-A home run for the Beavers, who evened their record at 1-1.

Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, the Beavers tied the game when pinch-hitter Oscar Robles singled, Adam Shabala walked and both scored on a one-out double to left by Huffman.

For the second night in a row, Nate Schierholtz led the Grizzlies (1-1), going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Schierholtz, who is making his Triple-A debut this season, is 5-for-8 with two homers and five RBIs in the series.

Luis Figueroa collected three hits for the Grizzlies, who had the winning run at third base with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning before Portland reliever Justin Hampson struck out the next two batters to send the game to the 11th.

Hampson (1-0), who began his career with the Portland Rockies, was credited with the win, while Leo Rosales, making his first Triple-A appearance, got the save after working the bottom of the 11th.

Meaux (0-1) suffered the loss in his first outing with the Grizzlies.

Bolstered by an early 3-0 lead, Fresno starter Travis Blackley allowed just two base runners over the first four innings before walking Craig Stansberry and allowing a two-run homer to Cruz that helped the Beavers trim the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fifth.

Blackley allowed two hits and struck out seven in five innings, a welcome change for the left-hander who was 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in two previous starts against the Beavers. Both losses came during a heated North Division pennant chase in August 2004 between Tacoma, his former team, and the Beavers, who went on to claim the division title that year.

In his first start for Portland, Ryan Ketchner retired the side in order in the first inning before allowing an RBI double to Schierholtz and a run-scoring single to William Bergolla in the second.

Schierholtz upped Fresno's lead to 3-0 with a fourth-inning solo homer off Ketchner, who gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings of work.

After Cruz' two-run blast, the Grizzlies answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Figueroa reached on a leadoff single, eventually got to third on a wild pitch and a fly out, and scored on Dan Ortmeier's line-drive single to left for a 4-2 lead.

The Beavers and Grizzlies meet again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: Jack Cust, who led all minor leaguers with 143 walks last season, drew his first walk of the 2007 season in the fourth inning ... Manny Alexander, a veteran of 19 professional seasons, got his first start of the season at third base for Portland ... Saturday's pitching matchup includes two top prospects - Jared Wells for Portland and Tim Lincecum, a first-round draft pick in 2006 out the University of Washington, for Fresno.

Beavers Game File

FRIDAY'S GAME: Beavers 6, Fresno 4 (11 innings)

WINNING PITCHER: Hampson (1-0)

LOSING PITCHER: Meaux (0-1)

SAVE: Rosales (1)

HOME RUNS: Cruz (1), Schierholtz (2)

SATURDAY'S GAME: Portland (Jared Wells: NR) at Fresno (Tim Lincecum: NR), 7:05 p.m.; live broadcast on KKAD AM-1550 and www.portlandbeavers.com.



Pacific Coast League Stories from April 7, 2007


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