Schierholtz's First Homer, Four RBI, Lead Fresno Over Tucson On Sunday Afternoon
April 13, 2008 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release
FRESNO, CA - Though the victory lacked the suspense of the previous two nights, the Fresno Grizzlies won their third consecutive game over the Tucson Sidewinders on Sunday afternoon at Chukchansi Park. Fresno scored eight runs in the game's first four innings on the way to a 10-4 victory.
Tucson, still feeling the sting of two late-inning losses, struck first in the top of the first inning, after a scary moment. With one out in the frame, Nick Pereira hit Tim Raines Jr. in the head with a pitch. Raines lay on the ground for eight minutes before being escorted off the field and replaced by a pinch runner. Two batters later Wilkin Castillo singled through the right-side of the infield to score Josh Whitesell from third for a 1-0 lead.
For the first time this season however, Fresno managed to score in the first inning as well. After Brett Harper reached on an error, scoring Justin Leone, Nate Schierholtz singled to score Harper for a 2-1 lead. Schierholtz drove in another run in the third, and after Eliezer Alfonzo's sacrifice fly the Grizzlies led 4-1.
In the fourth, Tucson victimized Pereira for a pair of runs to cut the deficit to a single run, but Fresno responded in the bottom half to break the game open. After Pereira reached on an error to start the frame, Clay Timpner drove him in with a single. After a sacrifice fly by Harper scored Timpner, Schierholtz capped his already big day with a two-run home run to right-field, giving the Grizzlies an 8-3 lead.
The Sidewinders pushed across a single run in the 7th inning, but Fresno added two more on Eliezer Alfonzo's first home run of the season in the bottom half. Jesse Foppert, in his first appearance for the Grizzlies at Chukchansi Park since 2005, worked 2.0 scoreless innings to nail down the victory.
The Grizzlies and Sidewinders will wrap up their four-game series on Monday afternoon at 12:05pm. Right-hander Matt Palmer looks for his first win of the season for Fresno, while Billy Buckner does the same for the visitors. Fans can take advantage of the Monday Madness special and get two tickets, two hot dogs, two sodas, and two Island Waterpark passes for just $14.
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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 13, 2008
- Sidewinders drop tenth straight - Tucson Sidewinders
- Sky Sox and Rainiers Split Doubleheader, Jose Capellan Flirts With No-Hitter - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
- Schierholtz's First Homer, Four RBI, Lead Fresno Over Tucson On Sunday Afternoon - Fresno Grizzlies
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