Fresno (47-38) has won a franchise-record 12 straight games with a 5-4 win in the series opener of a three-game set against the Salt Lake Bees (47-38) on the Fourth of July. The Tacos played in front of a sellout crowd of 14,202 fans, the third-largest baseball crowd in the
Fresno (47-38) has won a franchise-record 12 straight games with a 5-4 win in the series opener of a three-game set against the Salt Lake Bees (47-38) on the Fourth of July. The Tacos played in front of a sellout crowd of 14,202 fans, the third-largest baseball crowd in the history of Chukchansi Park. Fresno's 12-game win streak is the longest current streak in all of professional baseball, overtaking Memphis who previously had the longest win streak in the Pacific Coast League this season (11) in April-May. The PCL record is a 19-game streak from the 1939 Los Angeles Angels.
The two clubs traded a run each in the first frame. For the Bees, Nolan Fontana led off with a triple and came in to score when Ramón Flores (2-for-5) grounded out. The Tacos tied the game 1-1 when Tony Kemp scored on a Tyler White sacrifice fly after a lead-off single. With the base hit, Kemp has hit safely in 12 straight games and 22 of his last 23.
The Bees then took a 2-1 lead in the second when a Matt Williams RBI triple scored Tony Sanchez (2-for-4) who reached on an error. In the bottom of the inning Fresno went ahead 3-2. Preston Tucker (2-for-4) singled to get on and scored on a Juan Centeno RBI groundout before a Reid Brignac sacrifice fly brought home Jon Kemmer who walked to get on.
Salt Lake took the lead once again in the seventh. C.J. Cron knocked a two-run single to bring home Sanchez who singled and Fontana who reached on an error to make the score 4-3. As the pattern went, the Tacos were back in front after the stretch. Colin Moran (2-for-4) drove home Kemp (hit by pitch) and Derek Fisher (2-for-4, single) with a two-RBI single to make the final score 5-4.
Tacos starting pitcher Trent Thornton allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out a personal season-high of seven through the first five innings. Reymin Guduan (5-4) earned the win in relief with two strikeouts to end the seventh. Brendan McCurry picked up his second save of the season with three strikeouts through a scoreless final two frames.
Bees starter Drew Gagnon went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Reliever Brooks Pounders (1-2) suffered the loss allowing the final two Fresno runs.
Fresno will look to extend their win streak to an even better franchise record of 13 on Wednesday night in the middle contest of a three-game set against Salt Lake. RHP Daniel Wright (3-4, 7.29) will be on the mound for the Bees to face Fresno RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 0.00). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
