Freitez Drives Grizzlies to Series Clinching Walk-Off after Newton's Gem

BOX SCORE

FRESNO, Calif. – Jesus Freitez delivered a two-out walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Inland Empire 66ers 2-1 Sunday evening at Chukchansi Park.

The victory secured a 4-2 series win for Fresno and marked the club’s first victory of the California League second half.

The Grizzlies earned their second walk-off win of the week after entering the ninth inning tied at one.

Fresno also rebounded from back-to-back losses on Friday and Saturday to close the homestand by winning four of six games against Inland Empire.

Sunday’s finale featured a pitchers’ duel between Fresno starter Austin Newton and Inland Empire right-hander Jack Bowery.

Newton held the 66ers to one run over 6.1 innings while allowing just three hits and striking out two. He started the game by retiring the first 13 batters he faced.

Bowery matched him for much of the afternoon, tossing six scoreless innings while limiting Fresno to six hits.

Neither club scored through the first six innings.

Fresno threatened early with runners at the corners in the first and got a two-out double from Luis Mendez in the second, but Bowery worked out of trouble each time.

The 66ers finally broke through in the seventh inning.

Ricardo Cova singled, Cesar Quintas was hit by a pitch and Estevan Moreno added a single to load the bases.

After Seth Clausen entered from the bullpen, Dervy Ventura lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Cova for a 1-0 Inland Empire lead.

Clausen limited the damage thanks in part to a heads-up defensive play from Freitez.

After Ventura’s sacrifice fly moved Quintas to third base, Freitez picked off the runner to end the inning and keep Fresno within a run.

The Grizzlies answered immediately in the bottom of the seventh.

Carlos Renzullo drew a walk and Mendez followed with a single to put runners at the corners.

Freitez then dropped down a sacrifice bunt in a perfect spot up the first base line and Inland Empire reliever Ray Cebulski could not tag him out, allowing Renzullo to score the tying run and knot the game at 1-1.

Clausen took over from there. The right-hander retired eight of the final nine hitters he faced, striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings to earn his fifth victory of the season and lower his ERA to 1.60.

Fresno nearly broke through in the eighth when Adael Amador singled, but Ricardo Cova cut down the Grizzlies infielder attempting to stretch the hit into a double.

The game remained tied entering the ninth inning.

After Wilder Dalis struck out to begin the bottom of the ninth, Ashly Andujar lined a single into the infield.

Renzullo popped out for the second out before Mendez beat out a bunt single up the third base line pressuring reliever Anderson Guevara allowed Andujar to race all the way to third base, putting the winning run 90 feet away.

Freitez came through moments later. The catcher lined a single to right field, scoring Andujar with the winning run and sending the Grizzlies pouring out of the dugout.

Freitez finished with both Fresno RBIs, while Mendez collected three hits and Andujar scored both runs.

The win improved Fresno to 37-32 overall and gave the Grizzlies a series victory in the club’s first series of the second half to start 1-2.

The Grizzlies head out on the road to take on Lake Elsinore with the series beginning Tuesday night at 6:05pm against the Storm.

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.