SS Ezequiel Tovar homered and drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 1th inning as the Fresno Grizzlies won a see-saw battle with the Visalia Rawhide Friday night. The Rawhide scored single runs in the 10th and 11th innings but couldn’t put the game in the win column as Fresno tied it back up in the 11th and won on the strength of Tovar’s two-run double to end it.
Fresno starter RHP Will Ethridge went five innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out six with no walks as the Grizzlies held on to an early 2-1 lead. Tovar, the Colorado Rockies’ #20 prospect per MLB Pipeline, tacked on a run with a solo homer in the fifth.
Visalia rallied for two runs in the eighth to tie it at 3-3 on a Ronnie Simon single to RF where Zac Veen let the ball get past him and two runners scored. Simon was thrown out at the plate, which would prove crucial as the game ended up going to extra innings.
RHP Fineas Del Bonta-Smith went two innings in relief for the Grizzlies, striking out six. He allowed an unearned run to score by the installed runner in the 10th after pitching a scoreless ninth.
The Rawhide fell to 1-9 on the season. RHP Brandon Pfaadt went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
The Grizzlies are 7-3 and tied with Modesto for first place in the North division.
SCOREBOARD
MODESTO – 8
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 2
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Taylor Dollard (1-0) earned his first win with five dominant innings, allowing one run on five hits with eight Ks and no walks. LF Cade Marlowe (2) and 3B Brett Rodriguez (1) homered as the Nuts offense racked up 15 hits. #7 prospect SS Noelvi Marte went 3-for-5 with a double.
SAN JOSE – 14
STOCKTON – 3
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San Jose had 17 hits, including four-hit nights for SS Abdiel Layer and C Ricardo Genoves, as the Giants got back to .500 at 5-5. Layer (2) homered twice and LF Harrison Freed (1) and CF Luis Matos (2) also went deep. RHP Randy Rodriguez went the final three innings and gave up just one hit and no runs while walking one and striking out six to earn the save despite the blowout score.
INLAND EMPIRE – 7
LAKE ELSINORE – 2
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LHP Ryan Smith (1-0) and LPH Jack Dashwood (S1) combined to cover all nine innings in a 7-2 win over Lake Elsinore. Smith gave up a 2nd-inning HR to Joshua Mears, his only hit allowed, and walked three while striking out eight. Dashwood went the last four innings allowing a run on four hits with no walks and five Ks. 2B Kyren Paris, the Angels’ #7 prospect, homered and LF William Rivera had three hits. The 66ers moved to within 1/2 game of the Storm in the South division standings.
The San Jose Giants got another strong pitching performance on Thursday night and beat Visalia for the third night in a row, final score 5-2 at Valley Strong Ballpark. Starter Will Bednar went four innings and allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out six. Seth Lonsway (W, 2-0) followed with four hitless innings, allowing just one unearned run while walking two and striking out two. Jose Cruz threw a spotless ninth inning to notch his first save of the year.
