Giants Power to 12-6 Victory over Grizzlies
June 15, 2022 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
The San Jose Giants smacked three home runs on Wednesday afternoon and three times overcame deficits in a come-from-behind 12-6 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies at Excite Ballpark. Ronaldo Flores belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth while Aeverson Arteaga and Carter Williams also went deep as the Giants achieved a new season-high for runs scored in a home game. The win snapped San Jose's (33-26) four-game losing streak and evened their series with Fresno.
Williams (2-for-3, HR, 4 RBI) and Flores (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), who were both making their 2022 San Jose Giants debuts, combined for six RBI's out of the 8-9 spots in the lineup. Hayden Cantrelle (3-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) finished a home run shy of the cycle in only his second game with the club while Vaun Brown (3-for-4, 2B) added three hits.
Wednesday's contest saw the two teams combine for six homers with the Grizzlies jumping out early. Solo home runs from Fresno's Hunter Goodman and Braxton Fulford in the top of the second off San Jose starter Matt Mikulski gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead. The Giants though immediately answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Riley Mahan led off with a single before Cantrelle stepped to the plate with one out and produced an RBI triple into the right field corner.
Then with two down, Williams lined a single into right scoring Cantrelle to bring San Jose even at 2-2.
The Grizzlies, however, came back with a single tally in the top of the fourth before two more runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. In the fourth, Warming Bernabel drew a leadoff walk and immediately scored when the next batter, Goodman, doubled into the right center gap. Adael Amador then hit Fresno's third homer of the day when he connected for a two-run round-tripper off of Mikulski in the top of the fifth to make it 5-2.
The Giants would once again rally though scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. Following Grant McCray's leadoff single, Arteaga stepped to the plate and hit a two-run home run to left. The homer was Arteaga's seventh of the season and it brought San Jose to within 5-4.
Brown was up next and he reached safely on a bunt single and advanced to third on the play when Grizzlies pitcher Case Williams threw the ball down the right field line for an error. Mahan followed with a single into center plating Brown for a 5-5 score. The four straight hits for the Giants to begin the bottom of the fifth came on four consecutive pitches.
The seesaw affair continued with Fresno scoring once in the top of the sixth to go back ahead. With Jose Cruz on the mound for San Jose, Fulford singled with one out and stole second. Then with two outs, Trevor Boone hit a sharp grounder up the middle that deflected off the second baseman Cantrelle for an infield single. Fulford, who was running on the pitch, was able to score from second to give the Grizzlies a 6-5 lead.
Trailing again, the Giants once more had an answer. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Williams drew a walk before Flores stepped to the plate and launched a 432-foot home run to left. The two-run blast, Flores' first hit with San Jose this season, gave the Giants their first lead of the afternoon at 7-6.
Trevor McDonald then entered out of the San Jose bullpen to begin the top of the seventh and despite issuing a leadoff walk, was able to deliver a shutdown inning to keep the Giants ahead. San Jose then erupted for five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take control of the game. Brown led off with a double into the left field corner before Victor Bericoto reached on a one-out error. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Cantrelle and Yorlis Rodriguez then pushed the lead to 9-6. Williams was up next and he crushed a three-run home run to right for a 12-6 cushion.
McDonald closed out the game for the Giants with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
GIANTS NOTES
Offensive Outburst: The 12 runs scored by the Giants was their second-highest offensive output in a game this season. San Jose scored 15 runs in a victory at Inland Empire on May 18.
Inside The Box Score: The Giants out-hit the Grizzlies 14-9. San Jose was 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The Giants scored 10 runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 12-6 lead. San Jose finished the game with seven extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple, three home runs).
On The Mound: Jose Cruz (2-1) was credited with the win after tossing 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen with one run surrendered. It was the first earned run allowed by Cruz since his first appearance of the season (April 10 at Modesto). Trevor McDonald finished the game with three scoreless innings to collect his first save of the year. McDonald allowed one hit, walked one, struck out one and induced three double plays. Matt Mikulski gave up five runs (all earned) on six hits over 4 1/3 innings in his start.
2022 Debuts: Carter Williams and Ronaldo Flores were both making their 2022 San Jose debuts after each joined the club from High-A Eugene on Tuesday. Williams played 54 games for the Giants last season (.262 AVG, 7 HR, 37 RBI) while Flores saw action in one game with San Jose in 2021.
Arteaga Heating Up: Aeverson Arteaga (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) now has six extra-base hits (five doubles, one home run) over his last nine games. He's batting .297 (11-for-37) during the stretch.
First Half Race: Fresno saw their seven-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday. The Grizzlies (39-20) still own a six-game lead over the Giants (33-26) in the North Division standings with seven games remaining in the first half.
On Deck: The Giants and Grizzlies play the third game of their series on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Eric Silva is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.
California League Stories from June 15, 2022
- Giants Power to 12-6 Victory over Grizzlies - San Jose Giants
- Fresno on Wrong End of Homer Barrage, Fall 12-6 to San Jose - Fresno Grizzlies
- Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes at San Jose - Fresno Grizzlies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
