Hauschild's Gem propels Grizzlies to matinee win

Danny Worth extends hit streak to nine games, A.J. Reed blasts third home run in Monday's victory

April 18, 2016

This time of year, you hear things about the pitching staff still getting "stretched out," and starters' outings are generally a little shorter.

Fresno Grizzlies right-hander Mike Hauschild looked plenty limber on Monday.

In a 4-3 matinee win over Las Vegas (5-5), which improved Fresno (5-5) to 2-2 in one-run games this season, Hauschild (1-1) went as deep into a game as any Grizzlies starter this season, allowing just five hits in seven innings for his first winning decision of 2016. Hauschild struck out seven, an individual season-high for Fresno, walking just one.

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first; after Danny Worth extended his team-best hit streak to nine games with a single, A.J. Reed (1-for-3) swatted a home run way out to left field. Worth (3-for-4) has hit safely in every game he's played this season, and Reed's home run pulled him even with Worth for the team home run lead, with three.

Monday marked the sixth game in 10 this season where Fresno scored in the first inning. They've won the last five of those games, the only blemish coming on opening day in a 6-4 loss at Las Vegas.

Las Vegas got a run back in the second when Mets top prospect Gavin Cecchini led off with a single, later scoring on fellow prospect Dilson Herrera's RBI single. Fresno made it a 3-1 game in the seventh on Reed's third RBI of the day, a sac-fly to center with the bases loaded that scored Andrew Aplin after a walk. Reed now leads Fresno in RBI with 11, ahead of Worth (nine) and Colin Moran (eight).

Hauschild retired the final 10 batters he faced, and set down 17 of the final 18 Las Vegas hitters. A two-run single off the bat of Roger Bernadina tightened things up a bit in the eighth making it 4-3, but Grizz reliever Jordan Jankowski entered to mitigate that jam, and then pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season. 1.2 innings ptiched was a season-high for Jankowski.

After splitting the four-game series with Las Vegas, the Grizzlies will continue this opening homestand with four games Monday through Friday against the Salt Lake Bees. On "Taco Tuesday," the Grizzlies will hit pause and become the "Fresno Tacos" for the first time of 11 this season. Sceduled starters are RHP Zach Nuding (1-0, 6.52) for the Bees, and LHP Tommy Shirley (1-0, 0.00) for the Tacos.