Cole, Van Sickle Baffle Rawhide and Earn Split for Grizzlies

BOX SCORE

VISALIA, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies closed out their six-game road trip with another complete effort Sunday afternoon, defeating the Visalia Rawhide 5-1 at Valley Strong Ballpark.

Fresno won the final two games of the series to finish the week with a split and improve to 33-30 on the season.

The Grizzlies wasted little time grabbing the lead.

Ashly Andujar opened the game with a one-out triple up against the right-center field wall and came home moments later when Roldy Brito lined an RBI single into right.

Fresno carried a 1-0 advantage into the bottom of the first behind starter Ethan Cole, who retired the side in order.

Fresno doubled its lead in the second inning thanks to an unexpected power surge from Luis Mendez.

Mendez launched his first home run the season, well over the wall in right field. The solo blast pushed Fresno's advantage to 2-0 and gave the Grizzlies an early cushion.

Visalia would tally its only run in the bottom of the third.

Ivan Luciano doubled to begin the inning and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before Kyle Sinzza lined an RBI double to left.

Jose Alpuria followed with another double, but Cole escaped the inning with only one run allowed when Carlos Renzullo cut down Sinzza at the plate and Pedro Catuy grounded out.

The Grizzlies immediately responded in the fourth.

Mendez walked and stole second before Jeremy Ciriaco worked a walk.

Two wild pitches from Visalia reliever Ricardo Yan allowed Mendez to score, and Yeiker Reyes followed with an RBI single to center field that plated Ciriaco and extended Fresno's lead to 4-1.

Fresno added its final run in the fifth.

Matt Klein drew a walk and Fossum followed with a single to put two runners aboard.

After Mendez reached on a bunt force play and Ciriaco moved Fossum to third with a fly ball, Cameron Nelson lined a two-out RBI single to left to score Fossum and make it 5-1.

That was more than enough support for Cole.

The right-hander turned in one of his strongest starts of the season, allowing one run on five hits over 5.1 innings while striking out five.

Cole worked around traffic throughout the afternoon and held Visalia to 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Bryson Van Sickle took over with one out in the sixth inning and completely shut the door.

The right-hander retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced and struck out seven over 3.2 scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season.

Van Sickle did not allow a hit and lowered his ERA to 1.83 while finishing off the victory.

Fresno's defense also played a key role in the win.

The Grizzlies turned a double play in the seventh inning to erase a leadoff walk, while the infield consistently converted opportunities behind the pitching staff.

Renzullo's throw to the plate in the third inning proved to be one of the game's biggest defensive moments, preventing Visalia from potentially tying the game.

He added a diving play in the fifth to rob Adrian Rodriguez of a hit, sprawling out to his left before popping up and delivering a throw on the mark to get the out.

Mendez enjoyed one of his most productive games of the season, finishing 1-for-2 with his first home run, two runs scored, an RBI, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.

Nelson added two hits and an RBI, while Andujar, Brito, Fossum, Reyes and Renzullo each contributed hits. Every starter reached base at least one.

The Grizzlies finished with eight hits, five walks and three stolen bases while going 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Although they stranded nine runners, Fresno consistently created pressure and capitalized on key opportunities throughout the afternoon.

With the victory, Fresno improved to 33-30 overall and 9-6 against Visalia this season.

The Grizzlies return home Tuesday night to begin a six-game series against Inland Empire at Chukchansi Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:35 p.m. on 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.