Baylor’s blast and late walks help Grizzlies weather the Storm 6-5

Fresno, CA (Tuesday, June 6) – The Fresno Grizzlies (26-26) rallied past the Lake Elsinore Storm (26-23) 6-5 Tuesday night from Chukchansi Park. Fresno scored five runs in their final two innings to enjoy their ninth comeback claws win in the seventh inning or later. It was the Grizzlies third consecutive victory, but they still trail the San Jose Giants by seven games in the division with 14 contests left to play in the first half.

Fresno grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Skyler Messinger laced a single to right, plating Ryan Ritter. Messinger extended his on-base streak to 14 games and hit streak to five contests. He reached base three times and stole his first bag of the season.

In the top of the fifth, Lake Elsinore’s Kai Murphy roped a double to left-center to knot the affair at one. An inning later, Rosman Verdugo scooted the Storm ahead with a single to center. In the seventh, Lake Elsinore extended their advantage to 5-1 from a pair of wallops. 17-year-old and Padres #3 prospect Ethan Salas launched his first professional homer to right-center field. Albert Fabian followed suit with a two-run missile to center field, his eighth clout of the year.

Despite the four-run deficit, the Grizzlies comeback claws started to show in the seventh. A pair of walks brought pinch-hitter Jamari Baylor to the plate. Baylor was just assigned to Fresno earlier in the afternoon, putting pressure on the former Philadelphia Phillies prospect. On a 3-1 count, Baylor rocked a three-run blast to right field, cutting the disadvantage to 5-4. It was the first Fresno pinch-hit homer since Zach Kokoska’s walk-off shot on May 17, 2022 versus Rancho Cucamonga.

In the eighth, the Grizzlies loaded the bases off of two singles and a walk. This brought Bryant Betancourt to the dish and the 19-year-old saw four balls to net the tying run. Two batters later, Baylor drew a walk on a full count, pushing Fresno in front 6-5. Baylor finished with four RBI, the most by a Grizzlies batter this year. Kody Huff concluded his evening going 4-for-4 with four singles and Parker Kelly reached base twice in the triumph.

Storm southpaw Austin Krob did not factor in the decision after tossing five innings of one-run ball (unearned). Krob allowed six hits and struck out six as well. Carter Loewen (1-2) suffered the loss after permitting the eighth inning runs. Grizzlies’ lefty Caleb Franzen chucked five frames of one-run ball, giving up three hits and a trio of walks while fanning five. Braxton Hyde (2-1) earned the win on his 22nd birthday after a 1-2-3 inning with two punchouts. Davis Palermo secured his second save after a clean ninth. The clubs are back in action tomorrow night from Chukchansi Park.

Tonight’s article was written by ChatGPT

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• PH/2B Jamari Baylor (1-1, HR, 4 RBI, R, BB)
• 1B Bryant Betancourt (1-2, RBI, R, 2 BB)
• 3B Skyler Messinger (1-2, RBI, 2 BB, SB)
• C Kody Huff (4-4)
• RF/3B Parker Kelly (1-3, R, BB)

Top Performers: Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)

• RF Albert Fabian (2-5, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R)
• DH Ethan Salas (1-5, HR, 2 RBI, R)
• LF Kai Murphy (1-4, 2B, RBI)
• LHP Austin Krob (5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K)

On Deck:

Wednesday, June 7 vs. Lake Elsinore Storm, Lake Elsinore LHP Jagger Haynes (0-2, 5.14) vs. Fresno LHP Albert Pacheco (0-0, 0.00), 6:50 pm PT

ON THAT FRES-NOTE:

This season, the Grizzlies have scored 41% of their runs in innings 7-9 (111 runs of 273 total runs). The eighth inning has been the most productive for Fresno with 44 runs scoring.