Grizzlies Cling to 9-8 Victory After Holliday Slam

BOX SCORE

STOCKTON, Calif.-The Fresno Grizzlies (14-9) followed up a dominant shutout in the opener with a gritty 9–8 victory over the Stockton Ports (10-13) on Wednesday night at Banner Island Ballpark, securing back-to-back wins to open the series.

Coming off a 10–0 rout the night before, Fresno again struck early, as Clayton Gray and Roldy Brito each delivered hits to start the inning.

The Grizzlies scored by manufacturing two runs in the first inning on a pair of sacrifice flies from Ethan Holliday and Tanner Thach to take a quick 2–0 lead.

The Grizzlies broke things open in the second inning, as Jeremy Ciriaco and Kyle Fossum followed the blueprint from the first inning with a single and double to start the inning.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Holliday launched a grand slam off the left field foul pole, his third home run of the season, extending Fresno’s lead to 6–0.

Stockton answered quickly, cutting into the deficit with a solo homer in the second and a three-run rally in the third.

The Ports forced Fresno into its bullpen early, but Manuel Olivares provided a key bridge, stranding inherited runners to maintain the advantage.

Fresno tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning, using aggressive baserunning and patience at the plate.

Cameron Nelson swiped both second and third before scoring on a sacrifice fly, and a bases-loaded walk later in the frame pushed the lead to 8–3.

The Ports mounted a relentless comeback, scoring three in the sixth and two more in the seventh. A wild pitch and a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning tied the game at eight, erasing Fresno’s early cushion and setting up a tense finish.

The Grizzlies responded immediately in the eighth.

Roldy Brito reached on a bunt single to first and moved into scoring position on an errant throw before Tanner Thach lined a go-ahead RBI single to center, giving Fresno a 9–8 lead that would hold the rest of the way.

Out of the bullpen, Zach Harris earned the win despite working through traffic.

Seth Clausen delivered a dominant two-inning save. Clausen retired all six batters he faced, striking out three to lock down his second save of the year.

Offensively, Holliday led the charge with five RBIs, highlighted by his grand slam.

Brito scored three times and continued to set the tone atop the lineup, while Thach drove in two, including the eventual game-winner.

Gray reached base and scored three times and helped spark multiple rallies, while the Grizzlies lineup continued to show depth, producing nine runs on ten hits after plating ten runs in the series opener.

Brito scored three times as well.

Despite allowing Stockton to erase a six-run lead, Fresno showed resilience throughout, answering every push from the Ports and finding a way late to secure the victory.

The Grizzlies look to continue the momentum Thursday night when right-hander Austin Newton will take the hill against his former college teammate, lefty Corey Braun for Stockton.

The game will be broadcast on 1430 ESPN Radio beginning at 6:50pm with the Chukchansi Gold Pregame Show. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

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.