Grizzlies Pummel Padres to Earn Series Split
Published on July 11, 2011 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release
FRESNO- After a homestand full of nail-biting affairs won or lost in the final at-bat, the Grizzlies needed a game like the one they played Sunday heading into the All-Star Break. Fresno scored its first six batters of the game and added on from there, pounding the Tucson Padres, 12-5, at Chukchansi Park to split the four-game set and finish the seven-game homestand at 5-2.
The Grizzlies (39-52) took little time to get the offense going, and the Padres defense helped them out right off the bat. Tyler Graham reached on one error, then moved to second on another. Conor Gillaspie followed with a walk and Edgar Gonzalez singled him home. Brandon Belt, Brett Pill and Thomas Neal all followed with RBI-singles of their own to make it 4-0 Fresno. One out later, following a passed ball to put runners at second and third, Max Ramirez capped a six-run first with a two-run single to center.
Fresno tacked on three more in the second, as Gillaspie and Gonzalez led off with back-to-back walks and Belt doubled off the wall in left to score both. Two outs later, Brad Eldred hit a line drive that second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir could not track in the early evening sun, falling for a single and scoring Belt to give the Grizzlies a 9-0 advantage.
Tucson (45-45) finally got on the board in the third, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Hoffpauir. The Padres added another in the fourth on Matt Clark's solo shot to right off Fresno starter Felix Romero. Fresno would add a run on another Eldred RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth to make it 10-2, but Tucson would come back to score twice in the fifth on a two-run shot by Logan Forsythe. After Hoffpauir's two-out single brought Clark to the plate again in the fifth, Fresno manager Steve Decker went to his bullpen for left-hander Geno Espineli, who struck Clark out swinging to end the threat.
The Grizzlies offense wasn't done yet, though, as with two outs in the sixth, Eldred crushed a Will Inman offering over the archway past the left-center field bleachers and onto the Fulton Mall. Ramirez followed with a shot off the upper-left corner of the batter's eye in center, giving Fresno its sixth set of back-to-back home runs this season and pushing the lead to 12-4.
Dan Runzler (1-1) allowed a run on two hits over 3.0 innings, striking out four to earn the win in relief.
Tucson starter Pedro Hernandez's second start against Fresno was not nearly as smooth as his first. After beating the Grizzlies in Tucson two weeks ago, Hernandez (2-1) was chased after a single inning of work Sunday. His defense did him no favors, either, committing a trio of first-inning errors.
Forsythe had his second straight big day for Tucson, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk, the dinger, a run scored and two RBI. The infielder was 4-for-5 with four singles on Saturday.
The Grizzlies are off for the three-day All-Star Break before heading to rival Sacramento for a four-game set beginning Thursday night.
Pacific Coast League Stories from July 11, 2011
- Trayvon Robinson Competes In Triple-A Home Run Derby - Albuquerque Isotopes
- PCL Names Players of the Week - PCL1
- Highway 99 Showdown Begins July 14 as River Cats Host Rival Fresno - Sacramento River Cats
- Redbirds & AutoZone Partner to Benefit the Officer Timothy Warren Fund - Memphis Redbirds
- Slow Start Dooms Padres - Tucson Padres
- 'Topes Head to the All-Star Break with 9-5 Loss - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Grizzlies Pummel Padres to Earn Series Split - Fresno Grizzlies
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