Dalis' 3-Hit Night Not Enough as Grizzlies Drop Finale
BOX SCORE FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies dropped their third straight game to close out the series, falling 8-3 to the Visalia Rawhide on Sunday afternoon at Chukchansi Park. Visalia jumped on Marcos Herrera early. Ryder Helfrick and Abdias De La Cruz both scored on a pair of first-inning
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies dropped their third straight game to close out the series, falling 8-3 to the Visalia Rawhide on Sunday afternoon at Chukchansi Park.
Visalia jumped on Marcos Herrera early. Ryder Helfrick and Abdias De La Cruz both scored on a pair of first-inning singles, the second from Ivan Luciano, and the Rawhide led 2-0 before the Grizzlies had come to bat.
Fresno answered in the fourth. Cristian Arguelles walked and scored on a Wilder Dalis single that was aided by a fielding error, and Ronny Ugarte's RBI single later in the inning brought home Aidan Redahan to tie the game at 2-2.
Visalia went back on top for good from there. The Rawhide scored single runs in the fifth and sixth — the first on a wild pitch, the second on a Victor Santana double play that still brought a run home — to lead 4-2. Fresno's Dalis kept chipping away, driving in Ashly Andujar with a single in the seventh to make it 4-3, but that's as close as the Grizzlies would get.
Luciano put the game away for Visalia in the final two innings. He led off the eighth with a solo homer to make it 5-3, then delivered the decisive blow in the ninth with a two-run single that capped a three-run inning and pushed the final margin to 8-3.
Manuel Olivares took the loss despite pitching well in relief of Herrera, allowing two runs over three innings before the bullpen unraveled late. Fresno's offense couldn't build on its middle-inning rallies, going 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and getting shut down over the final three innings.
Dalis was the one bright spot in the loss, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and continuing what has been a terrific stretch at the plate. The third baseman was named the California League's Player of the Month for July, when he hit .374 with eight home runs, 35 RBIs and 10 stolen bases over 24 games, and he has carried that form into August, batting .400 with three more homers through the season's first eight games of the month.
The loss capped a series in which Fresno lost the final three games and dropped the week-long set 2-4, the only series loss in five series with the Rawhide, though the Grizzlies still finished the season series against Visalia at 13-11 to claim the Highway 99 rivalry trophy.
Fresno sits at 59-49 overall and 23-19 in the 2nd half, in a three-way tie for first place in the North with San Jose and Stockton.
The Grizzlies will head to San Jose to open up a six-game series 6:30pm Tuesday night at Excite Ballpark.
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.