Grizzlies Stay Hot With 9-3 Win Over Express

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Fresno Grizzlies (43-27) picked up their fourth straight victory as they bested the Round Rock Express (30-40) 9-3 at Dell Diamond on Monday night.

Round Rock starter RHP Richelson Peña (0-1, 10.80) ended up with the loss in his season debut with the team after surrendering six runs, all earned, on 10 hits in 5.0 innings. Fresno received another solid outing from a member of their starting rotation as RHP Josh James (2-2, 2.23) allowed just one run over 6.0 frames of work.

The Grizzlies offense wasted no time in getting on the board, scoring a run before making an out in the top of the first. CF Myles Straw and LF Kyle Tucker kicked off the side with back-to-back singles, placing runners on first and second for 3B J.D. Davis. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Davis roped a double down the left field line that brought Straw home from second to put Fresno up 1-0.

After the rough start, Pena was able to stop the bleeding as he retired the following two batters on a pair flyouts before picking up his first strikeout when Grizzlies DH Derek Fisher went down swinging for out number three.

Both teams would go scoreless until the top of the fourth when Fresno added two more runs, widening the gap to 3-0. The first batter, Tim Federowicz, led off the inning with a line drive single to left before Fisher doubled into the right field corner. With no outs and runners in scoring position, Pena lost control of a breaking ball that bounced past Express C Tony Sanchez, allowing Federowicz to trot home from third. In the same at-bat, Fresno RF Jon Kemmer drove home Fisher on a sacrifice fly.

The E-Train offense responded in the bottom half of the frame by plating their first run of the evening to cut the lead to 3-1. 2B Christian Lopes got the ball rolling with a leadoff double before 3B Andy Ibáñez singled to put runners on the corners. 1B Tommy Joseph then picked up his team-leading 45th RBI of the season when he brought Lopes in on a sacrifice fly to center.

The Grizzlies went on to outscore Round Rock by four runs over the final five innings of play to pull ahead 9-3. Fresno's bats roughed up the Express bullpen for nine hits after the fourth inning, the loudest of which was delivered by 1B A.J. Reed, who blasted a towering two-run homer to right field in the eighth.

One of the few bright spots for Round Rock in the game's later half came on a ninth-inning solo shot by CF Drew Robinson, his second round-tripper since he returned from the disabled list on June 9.

The Express and Grizzlies will wrap up the four-game set tomorrow night at Dell Diamond with Round Rock RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (2-3, 4.47) in line to face Fresno RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (1-0, 2.28). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT.

For more information on the Express, visit RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter!