Sixth-Inning Surge Lifts Grizzlies Past Rawhide

BOX SCORE

VISALIA, Calif.-The Fresno Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing streak Thursday night, rallying past the Visalia Rawhide 7-5 at Valley Strong Ballpark.

Trailing by two runs midway through the contest, Fresno erupted for six runs over the fifth and sixth innings to secure its seventh win in 12 meetings against Visalia this season.

The Grizzlies struck first in the opening inning.

Ashly Andujar singled and advanced to third on Tanner Thach's 17th double of the year before Carlos Renzullo lined an RBI single to left field to give Fresno a 1-0 lead.

Visalia answered in the second when Adrian Rodriguez delivered a two-out RBI single, then moved in front in the third.

JD Dix and Abdias De La Cruz opened the inning with singles before Enyervert Perez lined a run-scoring hit to left. Fresno escaped further trouble when Andujar started a double play to erase Pedro Blanco and end the frame.

The Rawhide added another run in the fourth. After Ivan Luciano reached on a force play and Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, Dix singled through the left side.

Andujar and catcher Jesus Freitez teamed up to cut down Rodriguez attempting to score on the play, but Luciano crossed the plate before the tag, extending Visalia's lead to 3-1.

Fresno began its comeback in the fifth against reliever Samuel Gonzalez.

Yeiker Reyes and Andujar collected consecutive singles before Roldy Brito punched an RBI ground-ball single through the right side.

Later in the inning, Renzullo's fielder's choice brought home Andujar to tie the game at 3-3.

Visalia briefly regained the lead in the bottom half when Abdias De La Cruz walked, moved into scoring position, and eventually scored on Jose Alpuria's RBI fielder's choice.

The Rawhide advantage, however, lasted only a few minutes.

The Grizzlies broke the game open in the sixth. Jeremy Ciriaco reached on a bunt single, Freitez got aboard following catcher interference, and Cameron Nelson drew a walk to load the bases.

Reyes tied the game with an RBI single before Andujar lined a two-run single to right, scoring Freitez and Nelson.

Moments later, Brito delivered another RBI single to plate Reyes and cap a four-run inning that pushed Fresno in front 7-4.

Andujar and Brito paced the offense from the top of the lineup.

Andujar finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Brito went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI.

Reyes scored twice and collected two hits, while Renzullo added two RBI and Mendez reached base three times.

After a strong debut for Grif Hughes kept Fresno in it long enough for the offense to get moving, Fresno's bullpen made the lead stick.

Manuel Olivares entered in the fifth and worked two innings to earn his third victory of the season. The right-hander allowed two hits and one run while helping bridge the game to the late innings.

Seth Clausen handled the seventh and eighth innings and navigated around traffic in the eighth before ending the threat with a perfectly executed 1-6-3 double play.

The right-hander picked up his first hold of the season, preserving Fresno's two-run advantage.

Dylan Crooks closed the door in dominant fashion.

Crooks struck out Enyervert Perez and Pedro Blanco in a perfect ninth inning to record his fifth save and finish off the victory.

Crooks lowered his ERA to 1.54 while helping secure Fresno's first win since June 7.

With the victory, the Grizzlies improved to 31-29 overall and 7-5 against Visalia this season. Fresno will look to build on the momentum Friday night as the six-game series continues at Valley Strong Ballpark as they turn to Riley Kelly for the 6:35pm start.

The Grizzlies broadcast will begin at 6:20pm with the Chukchansi Gold Pregame Show.

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.