Fresno tops Salt Lake 4-2

The Fresno Grizzlies (76-64) defeated the Salt Lake Bees (71-69) by a score of 4-2 on Saturday night at Smith's Ballpark in the second contest of a four-game series. With four RBI on the night, the Grizzlies have passed their season-total of 784 in 1999 for a new club record of 788 RBI in a single-season.
Trent Thornton (8-4) tossed a solid eight innings for the Grizzlies in the win, his longest outing of 2017. He allowed two runs on six hits without a walk and struck out three in the quality start. The Grizzlies end the season 12-8 in Thornton's starts. Reliever James Hoyt picked up his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Fresno opened the scoring in the third when Josh Rojas led off the frame with a walk and scored on an A.J. Reed groundout, his team-leading 98^th RBI. The Bees then tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the third on a Micahel Hermosillo sacrifice fly that scored Sherman Johnson who doubled to get on.
The Grizzlies took back the lead in the fifth with a two-run double from Drew Ferguson. Colin Walsh (2-for-3) also doubled to get on and Preston Tucker was intentionally walked before they scored on the hit. Bees starter Manny Bañuelos (5-6) lasted just four innings and a third before Ferguson drove in the runs. He allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in the loss.
Salt Lake cut Fresno's lead to 3-2 after the stretch when Rey Navarro (double, 2-for-4) scored on a Dustin Ackley groundout. The Grizzlies quickly got the run back in the eighth to make it a 4-2 final. Trent Woodward notched his first RBI for the Grizzlies this season with a double that scored Garrett Stubbs who led off the inning with a walk.
The series continues with game three of four on Sunday. Probable starters are LHP Kent Emanuel (1-2, 7.45) for the Grizzlies and RHP Jaime Barria (2-0, 0.00) for the Bees. First pitch at Smith's Ballpark is set for 6:05 p.m. PT.