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Fresno Grizzlies

Fresno comeback falls short against Sidewinders

June 1, 2008 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


FRESNO, CA - The Tucson Sidewinders entered Saturday's series opener in Fresno with more hits than any other PCL team and banged out 13 more in a 6-5 win over the Grizzlies at Chukchansi Park. Sidewinders catcher Wilkin Castillo short-circuited what could have been a big first inning by throwing out a pair of prospective basestealers, and ended the game by picking Brian Bocock, representing the tying run, off of first base.

Tucson took advantage of Fresno starter Ryan Sadowski immediately, getting on the board in the first inning. Emilio Bonifacio led off the game with a double, and ultimately came in to score on a wild pitch. Tim Raines followed Bonifacio with a bunt single, and ultimately scored on Josh Whitesell's RBI single for a 2-0 lead for the visitors.

Despite a pair of runners caught attempting to steal second base, Fresno responded in the bottom half of the inning, keeping up their recent trend of early offense. After Sidewinders starter Esmerling Vasquez walked Ivan Ochoa with one out, Nate Schierholtz tripled to the left-center gap to score him. Schierholtz himself scored when Scott McClain followed with a single up the middle, tying the game at 2-2.

The Sidewinders regained the lead in the third inning when Jamie D'Antona, the PCL's leading hitter, singled to score a pair of runs. Tucson added two more in the fifth on back-to-back RBI singles by Wilkin Castillo and Jesus Merchan, pushing the lead to 6-2.

The home team finally rallied in the late innings against the Tucson bullpen. In the seventh, with Emiliano Fruto on the mound, Ivan Ochoa scored on a McClain groundout to score Fresno's third run. Later in the inning, Brett Harper homered over the right-center field wall, his first round-tripper since April 30th, to pull the Grizzlies within a pair.

In the ninth, Eugenio Velez led off the inning with his first home run as a Grizzly, off of closer Leo Rosales, to cut the deficit to just one run. However, though Fresno put the tying run on base, pinch-runner Brian Bocock was picked off of first base by Castillo to end the game.

The Grizzlies and Sidewinders meet again on Sunday afternoon at Chukchansi Park, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05pm. Right-hander Brad Hennessey starts for Fresno and will be opposed by Tucson righty Juan Gutierrez. Sunday is Christian Fellowship Day at the Park, with a concert featuring nationally acclaimed Christian recording artists Todd Agnew and Fresno's Jon Shabaglian to follow the game.

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