Grizzlies Pull Away From Rawhide Thursday Night

BOX SCORE

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Grizzlies (21-15) pounded out 18 hits and used shutdown relief work to pull away late for a 10-3 victory over the Visalia Rawhide (13-23) Thursday night at Chukchansi Park.

Visalia struck first just four batters into the game when Abdias De La Cruz launched a solo homer to left off Riley Kelly, giving the Rawhide an early 1-0 advantage.

The Grizzlies answered immediately in the second. Tanner Thach ripped a leadoff double into right before Clayton Gray delivered a two-out RBI single to tie the game at one.

Fresno kept the pressure on an inning later after Cameron Nelson walked and advanced on a throwing error during a pickoff attempt.

Roldy Brito followed with an RBI double to left before Thach added an RBI single through the right side to push Fresno in front 3-1.

Kelly settled in after the rocky opening inning and worked around traffic throughout his outing.

The right-hander struck out eight over 4.1 innings while allowing just two hits, but Visalia cut into the lead in the fourth when Ivan Luciano doubled home José Mejía.

The Rawhide threatened to swing momentum in the fifth after Jakey Josepha stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error.

But Jhon Medina entered in relief and immediately delivered one of the biggest moments of the game, helping Fresno escape the inning without allowing the tying run to score.

Visalia pulled within 4-3 in the sixth after another Fresno error helped extend the inning, but Medina and Manuel Olivares combined to strand the bases loaded and keep the Grizzlies in front.

That sequence opened the door for Fresno’s offense to take control.

Clayton Gray and Jeremy Ciriaco opened the bottom of the sixth with consecutive singles before Nelson added another base hit. Brito then reached on a Visalia error that allowed Ciriaco to score and extend the lead back to two runs.

The Grizzlies broke things open in the seventh. Derek Bernard and Jack O’Dowd started the rally with singles before Carlos Renzullo blasted a two-run triple into left field.

Gray followed with a sacrifice fly to cap a three-run inning and stretch the advantage to 8-3.

Fresno added two more in the eighth when Brito smoked his second double of the night and Ethan Holliday crushed a towering two-run homer to right-center field, his seventh homer of the season.

Brito finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI while Thach added three hits of his own. Gray continued his strong week at the plate with three hits and two RBIs while O’Dowd reached base three times and collected both a triple and a single.

The Grizzlies finished 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position and recorded at least one hit from every spot in the lineup.

Olivares was dominant in relief, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while allowing no hits and striking out four to earn his second save of the season.

Fresno pitching combined for 13 strikeouts overall while limiting Visalia to just two hits after the fourth inning.

The win, coupled with a San Jose loss on Thursday, gives Fresno sole possession of first place in the North for the first time this year.

The series continues Friday night at Chukchansi Park as Fresno looks to keep momentum rolling, having won four of its last five, with first pitch scheduled at 7:05pm for Star Wars Night.

A sell-out crowd is anticipated for the ballgame as Angel Jimenez will take the ball for Fresno against Wilkin Paredes of Visalia. The broadcast will be available on Bally Sports Live, MiLB.TV, and the audio broadcast will be on fresnogrizzlies.com, with the Chukchansi Gold Pregame Show beginning at 6:50pm.

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.