Fresno, Nashville Split Series
Fresno jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Nashville pulled ahead in the top of the second. Jeff Bianchi tied it up with an RBI double, and Humberto Quintero gave the Sounds the lead for good with a run-scoring single.
Quintero and starting pitcher Claudio Vargas each drove in a run in the fourth inning to make it 4-1 Nashville. Jordan Brown hit a home run in the fifth to give the Sounds a 5-1 advantage.
Emmanuel Burriss scored the only Fresno run in the bottom of the first inning. Burriss opened the frame with a triple off the wall in right-center field, and he scored two batters later when Francisco Peguero flew out to right field. Nashville right fielder Corey Patterson threw home as Burriss appeared to tag up. The throw got away from the catcher Humberto Quintero, allowing Burriss, who stopped in his attempt to tag up, to score on Quintero's error.
The triple by Burriss set a new Grizzlies franchise record for triples in a season with 44.
The Grizzlies offense, though, could not get in sync most of the game. A double play neutralized runners on base in the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings.
In the seventh, Conor Gillaspie led off with a line drive single to right field, but Nick Noonan grounded into Fresno's third double play of the game. Ryan Lollis kept the inning alive with an opposite field single, and Todd Linden advanced him to third with another single. After a coaching visit to the mound, Jackson Williams lined out to third base on the first pitch he saw to end the only real threat by Fresno after the first inning.
The Sounds added four runs after the seventh inning. Back-to-back doubles by Brown and Jeff Bianchi scored one run in the eighth, and Fresno native and Nashville pinch hitter Sean Halton hit a two-run home run to straightaway center field in the ninth. Caleb Gindl later scored in the ninth on Taylor Green's groundout to second.
Yusmeiro Petit suffered the loss for Fresno after allowing four runs (three earned) in five innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked one.
Vargas earned the win as he did not allow an earned run in seven innings pitched.
The Grizzlies will begin a four-game series against the Memphis Redbirds on Sunday at 6:05 pm. Left-hander Jason Stevenson will start for Fresno and face right-hander Shelby Miller.