Grizzlies swat four big flies, but falter 10-8 to Ports on Father’s Day

Fresno, CA (Sunday, June 20) – The Fresno Grizzlies (26-16) crushed four home runs, but it wasn’t enough as they faltered to the Stockton Ports (16-26) 10-8 on Father's Day. With the defeat, Fresno dropped their second series at Chukchansi Park and stretched their losing streak to three games (tied for season-long).

The Grizzlies belted four longballs, a team game-high. Drew Romo started the quartet of clouts with a two-run moonshot to left-center field in the fourth. The fourth dinger of the year for Romo nailed the bottom part of the scoreboard. Two hitters later, Mateo Gil rocketed a pitch to dead center, pinning the batter’s eye. In the fifth, Julio Carreras and Zac Veen went back-to-back, the first instance for the Fresno offense in 2021. Carreras’ second tater of the year nestled in the grassy berm in left-center while Veen’s first professional homer exited over the left field wall at 97 MPH.

Besides the four wallops, a trio of Grizzlies’ starters also had successful evenings. Bladimir Restituyo tallied three hits, Ezequiel Tovar collected a pair of rips, runs and steals while Grant Lavigne expanded his hit streak to 12 games (squad season-long).

Despite the offensive explosion, the Ports still came out on top. Junior Perez highlighted the lineup with a 3-for-3 and four RBI affair, ending his night a double shy of the cycle. His solo bomb was showcased in the seventh. Tyler Soderstrom added a 2-for-2 contest with one RBI. Edward Baram (2-2) relished the win, Mike Ruff (4-2) ached the decision and Oscar Tovar secured the save.

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• LF Zac Veen (2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB)

• 3B Mateo Gil (2-4, HR, RBI, R)

• C Drew Romo (1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R)

• SS Julio Carreras (1-5, HR, RBI, R)

Top Performers: Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)

• RF Junior Perez (3-3, HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB, SB)

• C Tyler Soderstrom (2-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB)

• 1B Gavin Jones (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI)

On Deck:

Tuesday, June 22 @ Visalia Rawhide, Fresno RHP Anderson Amarista (0-1, 10.80) vs. Visalia TBD, 6:00 pm PT

ON THAT FRES-NOTE:

The Grizzlies have stolen 34 bases in 36 attempts over their last 12 games. Fresno swiped five bags on Sunday with Zac Veen picking up his Low-A West best 21st. Grant Lavigne and Ezequiel Tovar each snagged two apiece as well.