Grizzlies defeat Express, remain tied for first in PAC North Division
Armenteros struck out season-high 8, Davis went 3-for-5 (2 RBI) in 11-8 win
The Fresno Grizzlies (59-42) and the Round Rock Express (45-56) combined for seven home runs on Sunday at Chukchansi Park. Fresno was victorious in an 11-8 final to have won 12 of their last 13 games to remain tied for first with the Reno Aces in the Pacific North Division.
The Fresno Grizzlies (59-42) and the Round Rock Express (45-56) combined for seven home runs on Sunday at Chukchansi Park. Fresno was victorious in an 11-8 final to have won 12 of their last 13 games to remain tied for first with the Reno Aces in the Pacific North Division. J.D. Davis went 3-for-5 for the Grizzlies for his first three-hit game of 2017 at the Triple-A level. He had six three-hit games while with Double-A Corpus Christi earlier in the season.
The Express got on the board first when Jurickson Profar reached second on an error and scored on a Travis Snider (2-for-5) RBI single in the opening frame to make the score 1-0. The Grizzlies tied the game quickly in the second when Davis scored Teoscar Hernández (2-for-4) with a RBI single.
Both clubs traded a run in the fourth. For Round Rock, Will Middlebrooks (2-for-4) hit a solo home run to left center, his 21st of the season. For Fresno, Davis knocked another RBI single, this time scoring Preston Tucker (2-for-3) to even the score 2-2. Round Rock added another solo home run in the top of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. A.J. Jimenez lifted his fourth of the season to left.
The Grizzlies crushed two home runs in the bottom of the fifth before allowing another Round Rock solo homer in the sixth. Jon Kemmer blasted his 15th of the season, a solo shot to left and Hernandez drilled a two-run homer to left for his 12th of 2017. The Express cut the Grizzlies' lead to 5-4 on a Snider solo home run to right, his sixth of the season.
Fresno jumped ahead in the bottom of the sixth that began with Tony Kemp (2-for-5) scoring on a wild pitch after he tripled to get on. Kemmer then scored again on a Derek Fisher (2-for-4) RBI single. Tucker made the score 9-4 with a two-run bomb to right. It was his 19th long ball of the season and team-leading 76th RBI. The home team's lead increased to 11-4 in the seventh. Reid Brignac led off the inning with a solo shot to right, his 13th of the season. Davis then singled for his third hit of the night and scored on a Juan Centeno single.
Round Rock tacked on another run in the eighth when Jimenez hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Middlebrooks (walk) to score to cut Fresno's lead to 11-5. They scored three more in the ninth to make the final score 11-8. Doug Bernier scored on a wild pitch before Middlebrooks and Ryan Rua (2-for-5) each knocked a RBI single to finish off the scoring. Starting pitcher Tyler Wagner (1-9) suffered the loss through five innings. He allowed five runs on nine hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Grizzlies starter Rogelio Armenteros (4-0) struck out a season-high eight batters for the second time in his four Triple-A starts this season. He has earned a win in each of those starts as well, as he allowed just three earned runs on six hits and a walk through 5.2 innings on Sunday. Reliever Dayan Díaz recorded the final out of the game to pick up his second save of the season.
The Grizzlies will look for their fourth series sweep of the season in the finale of the four-game set against the Express on Monday. RHP David Martinez (6-7, 4.55) will be on the mound for Fresno with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
