Messy 5th Inning Costs Grizzlies Series Opener
BOX SCORE A pitcher’s duel was turned upside down after a messy fifth inning in the Fresno Grizzlies 10-3 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers Tuesday night at San Manuel Stadium. Fresno Grizzlies starter Bryan Mena gritted through the early innings to keep the Grizzlies in it, but a couple
A pitcher’s duel was turned upside down after a messy fifth inning in the Fresno Grizzlies 10-3 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers Tuesday night at San Manuel Stadium.
Fresno Grizzlies starter Bryan Mena gritted through the early innings to keep the Grizzlies in it, but a couple of errors opened a road for the 66ers to outpace the Grizzlies.
Pitching dictated the start of the ball game with 66ers starter Peyton Olejnik proving tough to figure out while Mena worked through a few tough situations early.
Mena worked out of a jam in the bottom of the first, inducing an inning-ending double play to keep the game scoreless after one inning.
With two outs in the top of the second, Blake Wright tallied a knock to wake up the bats and then stole second but was left stranded.
Mena again navigated trouble in the second, working around a two-out double, before getting a strikeout to end the inning.
Olejnik cruised through the third and then received run support after a pair of Grizzlies errors helped the 66ers get on the board with an unearned run. But Mena prevented any further damage by registering his 4th strikeout in three innings.
Wright started the Grizzlies’ 5th inning by drawing a walk and advancing to second on a failed pickoff move. Felix Tena earned a walk in between a pair of outs before the 66ers removed Olejnik from the game. But reliever Stone Hewlett escaped the threat with just one pitch to keep the Grizzlies off the board.
The 66ers were able to chase Mena from the game in the bottom of the 5th and open up the scoreline with a six-run inning. Inland Empire loaded the bases with one out before tallying five hits in the inning against both Mena and reliever Fisher Jameson to push their lead to 7-0.
The Grizzlies got on the board in the 6th after Roynier Hernandez singled and Tommy Hopfe singled him home.
Defensive miscues cost the Grizzlies again in the bottom of the 6th when a 2-out error brought home the eighth run of the game for 66ers.
Felix Tena led off the 7th with a triple into the gap in left center field gap before scoring on Juan Castillo’s RBI single.
The Grizzlies put one more on the board in the 8th after Hernandez walked and eventually came around on an infield single from Hopfe.
But Inland Empire got those back in the 8th to reset its lead to seven. Brady Hill came on to face one batter in the inning and struck him out.
Hopfe led the offense with a two-hit, 2 RBI night. Hernandez reached base twice with a hit and a walk and score twice.
The series continues at Inland Empire Wednesday night at 6:35 pm with Lebarron Johnson Jr. making his professional debut for the Fresno Grizzlies in opposition of Inland Empire’s Andre Sanchez. The broadcasts for the entire series will solely be produced by the 66ers and can be accessed through MLB.TV or the MiLB streaming app.
The Grizzlies return home on Tuesday, April 15th to begin a series with the Lake Elsinore Storm.
----
The Fresno Grizzlies are a proud affiliate of the Colorado Rockies organization. During the 2024 season, the Grizzlies held several California League season records, including most attended game and highest overall attendance. The team plays at Chukchansi Park, a year-round venue that hosts numerous special events.