Grizzlies Upended in Extras, Drop Series in San Jose
BOX SCORE SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies jumped in front early and built a seventh inning before a furious comeback from the hosts turned into an extra innings battle and ultimately a 10-9 loss to the San Jose Giants in 11 innings Sunday at Excite Ballpark. The loss
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies jumped in front early and built a seventh inning before a furious comeback from the hosts turned into an extra innings battle and ultimately a 10-9 loss to the San Jose Giants in 11 innings Sunday at Excite Ballpark.
The loss puts Fresno two games out of first place in the North Division Standings for the 2nd half.
Fresno wasted no time getting on the board. Ashly Andujar drew a leadoff walk and Carlos Renzullo singled him to second, and after a strikeout, Jack Natili ripped a double to right to score Andujar.
Juan Martinez and Ronny Ugarte followed with back-to-back walks, the second forcing in Renzullo, and the Grizzlies had a 2-0 lead before the Giants came to bat.
San Jose answered with a run in the bottom of the first, but Fresno kept the pressure on.
Martinez tripled home in the fourth inning to ignite a three-run frame that also featured a Cort MacDonald RBI single, a Renzullo bases-loaded walk and a Cristian Arguelles run-scoring groundout, pushing the lead to 5-1. Martinez wasn't done — he tripled again in the fifth and scored on a throwing error to make it 6-1, a huge night at the plate that saw him reach base four times and cross the plate three times.
The Grizzlies tacked on two more in the seventh. Natili reached on an error and came around to score on a Ryan Niedzwiedz single, and Ugarte's sacrifice fly later in the inning made it 8-1, capping a stretch where Fresno had built one of its biggest leads of the season on the road.
San Jose chipped away late, scoring four times in the eighth and three more in the ninth to tie the game at 8-8, forcing extra innings after Fresno had carried the big lead into the late stages.
The Grizzlies didn't back down.
With a runner starting on second in the top of the tenth, Martinez scored the go-ahead run on a Sebastian Blanco single to make it 9-8, showing the kind of fight that's defined this club all season.
San Jose tied it right back in the bottom of the tenth, and after both teams stranded runners in the eleventh, the Giants pushed across the winning run with two outs to escape with a 10-9 victory.
Brady Parker was efficient in his start, allowing just one run over four innings, and Manuel Olivares followed with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to keep Fresno in front through the middle of the game.
Fresno finished with 10 hits and drew eight walks as a team, with Martinez's two triples and three runs scored leading the way, while Natili, Niedzwiedz, MacDonald, Renzullo, Arguelles, Ugarte and Blanco all factored into the scoring column.
It was a heartbreaking way to drop the series finale, and the series, after Fresno led for the better part of the night, but the Grizzlies now turn the page to a pivotal six-game series against the Stockton Ports this week at Chukchansi Park beginning Tuesday night at 6:50pm
ABOUT THE FRESNO GRIZZLIES
The Fresno Grizzlies are a proud affiliate of the Colorado Rockies organization. The club advanced to the California League playoffs in 2025 and continues to post some of Minor League Baseball's highest attended games. The 2026 season marks the Grizzlies' 25th year in Downtown Fresno.