Ethridge excellent in Grizzlies 5-4 triumph against 66ers

San Bernardino, CA (Wednesday, May 26) – The Fresno Grizzlies (13-7) growled to a 5-4 victory against the Inland Empire 66ers (8-11) Wednesday evening from San Manuel Stadium. 14 of the first 20 games for Fresno have been decided by two runs or less. The Grizzlies are 8-6 in those contests with a 4-2 mark on the road.

Fresno clawed ahead 2-0 in the first from a Mateo Gil RBI triple and wild pitch. The Grizzlies would add another run in the fourth from a Julio Carreras bunt single. Carreras recorded a second RBI three frames later with a sacrifice fly. Finally, Bladimir Restituyo smoked a solo shot to left, his first longball of the season. The five runs would be just enough for the win. Zac Veen notched a pair of knocks while Ezequiel Tovar lengthened his hit streak to six games.

Trailing 5-1 in the eighth, Inland Empire scooted three runs across the plate. D’Shawn Knowles laced a triple to center, yielding two runs. A groundout then inched the deficit to one. Despite the late efforts, the Grizzlies bullpen locked down the contest.

Will Ethridge (1-1, win) was fantastic for Fresno. The righty went six solid innings, fanning seven (both career-highs). He gave way to three relievers, who would clean up the final frames. Juan Mejia picked up his sixth save in the process. 66ers starter Jose Salvador (0-1) took the loss after five innings of work. Both squads are back at it tomorrow.

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• RHP Will Ethridge (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

• CF Bladimir Restituyo (1-3, HR, RBI, R)

• 2B Mateo Gil (1-4, 3B, RBI, R)

• RF Zac Veen (2-4, 2B, R)

• 3B Julio Carreras (1-3, 2 RBI)

Top Performers: Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angeles Angels)

• CF D’Shawn Knowles (1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R)

• DH Spencer Brown (2-4, 2B, RBI, R)

• LF Elijah Greene (1-3, R, BB)

On Deck:

Thursday, May 27 @ Inland Empire, Fresno LHP Breiling Eusebio (2-0, 3.05) vs. Inland Empire LHP Ryan Smith (2-0, 1.76), 7:05 pm PT

ON THAT FRES-NOTE:

The Fresno Grizzlies and Inland Empire 66ers face each other for the second time in their franchise histories. The Inland Empire 66ers are the current Low-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels and have been a part of the Angels system since 2011. Prior to teaming up with the Angels, the 66ers had ties to the Los Angeles Dodgers (1995-2000) and Seattle Mariners (1987-1994, 2001-2006) organizations. The 66ers are named after the historic U.S. Route 66 that runs through San Bernardino. Prior to the name change, the 66ers were known as the San Bernardino Stampede (1996-2002) and San Bernardino Spirit (1987-1995). The mascot for Inland Empire is Bernie, who is one of the only talking mascots in all of professional baseball. Bernie has been apart of the organization since 1999. The 66ers play at San Manuel Stadium and are owned by Elmore Sports Group.