Grizzlies down Isotopes 5-3 Sunday

Albuquerque, NM (Sunday, August 25) - In the last road game of the regular season, the Fresno Grizzlies (58-74) clipped the Albuquerque Isotopes (57-75) 5-3 from "The Lab." Fresno split the series and improved to 13-7 on Sundays (8-3 away). Scott Copeland (5-5, win), Sam Freeman (hold) and James Bourque (save, 3) limited the Albuquerque offense to six hits en route to the victory.
Copeland was magnificent for the Grizzlies. The righty tied a career-high with nine strikeouts over seven innings. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk. Freeman followed Copeland with a scoreless eighth. The lefty has two straight shutout outings since joining the club as a free agent. Bourque concluded the contest with a punchout. Prior to the final out, Carter Kieboom started an outstanding 4-6-3 double play.
Three solo shots by the Fresno lineup helped the pitching staff. Matt Reynolds led the game off with an opposite field blast. It was his second consecutive contest going deep. Yadiel Hernandez joined the party in the third, launching his 30^th of the year to dead center. Hernandez evened Brandon Snyder for the squad-high. He is the seventh Grizzly all-time to reach 30 dingers in a single-season. Taylor Gushue rounded out the longball activity with the go-ahead wallop in the eighth. Gushue also had an insurance RBI in the ninth. Luis Sardiñas enjoyed the other RBI after a triple to center.
Roberto Ramos supplied the Isotopes with two runs in the first after belting a bomb to left field. He became the second Albuquerque batter to record 100 RBI this year (Sam Hilliard yesterday). Drew Butera added the other RBI, plating Noel Cuevas. Harrison Musgrave (0-2) took the defeat. The Grizzlies start their final homestand Monday at Chukchansi Park.
Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Washington Nationals)
• RHP Scott Copeland (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)
• CF Matt Reynolds (2-3, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB, SB)
• C Taylor Gushue (2-5, HR, 2 RBI, R)
• RF Yadiel Hernandez (2-5, HR, RBI, R)
• SS Luis Sardinas (3-4, 3B, RBI)
Top Performers: Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies)
• 1B Roberto Ramos (1-2, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB)
• C Drew Butera (1-3, RBI)
• LHP Pat Dean (7.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
ON THAT FRES-NOTE: The 2017 Grizzlies' franchise record of 200 home runs is in peril; this year's club is ahead of the pace, tracking to hit 207 homers (195, eight games left). While baseballs may be different this season, the 2017 PCL schedule was 142 games when Fresno led all of Minor League Baseball in home runs. The 2019 Grizzlies will play 140 games or fewer. Brandon Snyder and Yadiel Hernandez (30) are tied for fourth all-time on the single-season homer list, four behind A.J. Reed's mark in 2017.