Culberson Goes Yard Twice In 10-5 Win

Salt Lake City, Utah - Charlie Culberson became the seventh different Fresno Grizzlies hitter to have two home runs in a game this season as he helped lead the Grizzlies to a 10-5 win over the Salt Lake Bees on Sunday afternoon at Spring Mobile Ballpark. The win secured back-to-back victories for Fresno for the first time in over a month.

The first of Culberson's two home runs occurred in the fourth inning. With one out and nobody on, Culberson lifted a ball over the left field wall to tie the game at 3-3. The RBI generated by Culberson completed the Grizzlies' comeback from the Bees' 3-0 lead they established through the first two innings.

Vernon Wells and Luis Jimenez each had a solo home run for Salt Lake in the first inning while Trevor Crowe drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second to give the Bees a three-run advantage.

The Grizzlies wasted little time chipping away at the deficit, howver, as they scored two runs in the top of the third. Juan Ciriaco gave Fresno its first run with an RBI groundout. Conor Gillaspie followed by delivering an RBI single to make it 3-2 Salt Lake.

With the game tied at 3-3 after Culberson's fourth-inning homer, Todd Linden gave the Grizzlies the lead with a two-run double with two outs in the fifth that made it 5-3 Fresno. The double was Linden's 530th in his Grizzlies career, tying him with Tony Torcato for the franchise's all-time hits record.

Wells contributed another RBI in the bottom of the fifth for Salt Lake with a single to center field that scored Andrew Romine and narrowed the Grizzlies' lead to 5-4.

In the sixth, though, RBI doubles from Tyler LaTorre and Skyler Stromsmoe increased the Fresno advantage to 7-4.

Culberson hit his second home run in the game in the top of the ninth with two outs, scoring Gillaspie and Linden.

Mitch Lively picked up the win for Fresno after relieving starting pitcher Clayton Tanner. Lively did not allow a run in his 2 1/3 innings of work, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two.

Tanner allowed four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings. He walked a batter but did not record a strikeout against the 21 batters he faced.

Salt Lake starting pitcher Brad Mills suffered the loss as he allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Three Grizzlies hitters reached base three times in the game. Gillaspie had a team-high three hits while Linden and LaTorre each had a hit and two walks.

The Grizzlies will wrap up the four-game series at Salt Lake as well as their 11-game road trip on Monday with a 6:05 pm PST game. Right-hander Andrew Kown of Fresno will face fellow right-hander Matt Shoemaker of Salt Lake.