Grizzlies rally late but fall to Chihuahuas 13-10

The Fresno Grizzlies (74-62) fell 13-10 to the El Paso Chihuahuas (69-87) on Tuesday night at Southwest University Park. A.J. Reed (2-for-4) crushed two home runs for the Grizzlies in the contest, his fourth time doing so. The Grizzlies have 15 two-homer games from individuals this season.
Fresno opened the scoring in the first inning when Juan Centeno walked with the bases loaded to bring home Tony Kemp (walk). The score became 2-0 Grizzlies with a Preston Tucker sacrifice fly that scored Tyler White (walk). The Chihuahuas got on the board in the bottom of the opening frame with Travis Jankowski scoring when Hunter Renfroe (3-for-5) reached on a fielder's choice. The home team took a 3-2 lead in the second on a Tony Cruz (2-for-4) two-run homer to left, his fifth of the season.
A 13-batter, nine-run third inning gave El Paso a 12-2 lead. After Rafael Ortega hit a RBI single, Cruz knocked his second home run of the game, a two-out grand slam to left. Shortly after, Jankowski (walk) scored on a wild pitch. The inning wasn't over yet as Renfroe drove in another run with a RBI single and Christian Villanueva (3-for-4) hit a two-run double.
The grand slam ended Fresno starter Cy Sneed's (1-1) night as he went on to suffer the loss. He pitched 2.2 innings in his third Triple-A start and allowed the first nine runs on nine hits. The Grizzlies had a four-run fourth to cut El Paso's lead to 12-6. Jack Mayfield (walk) scored when Kemp reached on an error. Carlos Correa (2-for-5) then drilled a two-run double to center in his fourth MLB rehab appearance. Kemp ended the fourth inning scoring when he went home on a passed ball.
Three more Fresno runs cut the Chihuahuas lead to 12-9. Colin Walsh pinch-ran for Mayfield in the fifth and scored when Alejandro Garcia (2-for-4) reached on a fielder's choice error. In the sixth, Reed crushed his 31^st home run of the season to left field. Tucker then led off the seventh with a solo homer to left of his own, his 23^rd of the season.
El Paso tallied one more run in the eighth to take a 13-9 lead. A Villanueva sacrifice fly scored Franchy Cordero (3-for-3) who triple to get on. Christian Bethancourt (3-2) went on the earn the win for the Chihuahuas through an inning and a third of relief after starter Tim Melville allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks with two strikeouts through three innings. Reliever Kevin Quackenbush picked up his fourth save of the season through the final two frames.
Fresno tacked on one last run in the ninth to make the final score 13-10. Reed blasted his second home run of the game and 32^nd of the season to left field to lead off the inning. With his 96^th RBI of 2017, Reed is on pace for the ninth-100 RBI season in Grizzlies history. He is also one homer shy of the all-time single-season record (Pedro Feliz, 33 in 2000).
The series continues on Wednesday at 5:35 p.m. PT. RHP Mike Hauschild (6-2, 4.43) will be on the mound for Fresno to face RHP Miguel Diaz, who will be playing his first game of the season with El Paso. The Grizzlies are 12-5 with Hauschild on the mound this season.