Lowriders stall late as San Jose takes series

Fresno, California (Sunday, May 23) – The Lowriders de Fresno (11-7) ran out of gas, dropping the series finale to the San Jose Giants (11-7) 6-4 Sunday afternoon from Chukchansi Park. 12 of the first 18 games for Fresno have been decided by two runs or less. The Lowriders are .500 in those contests with a 4-4 mark at home.

Fresno grabbed an early advantage when Zac Veen laced a double to right, plating Mateo Gil. Then, Luke Morgan made it 2-0 in the fourth when he rocketed a solo shot to left field. It was his first homer of the 2021 campaign. The lead was maintained until the final two innings. San Jose added a run on a wild pitch in the eighth and then recorded five more runs in the ninth. The frame was highlighted by a Ricardo Genoves three-run clout and Luis Matos two-RBI single. The Lowriders didn’t sputter yet, pushing across a pair of runs in the bottom half of the ninth thanks to a Daniel Montano blast. It was his first of the year. Despite the late scoring, the Giants held off any true comeback, earning the series victory.

Both squads had a couple bright spots in their lineups. Fresno’s Grant Lavigne, Morgan and Gil each mustered multi-hit affairs. The trio combined for two doubles and a wallop. For the Giants, Abdiel Layer notched three hits, raising his average to .389 and Jimmy Glowenke tallied a pair of singles.

The Lowriders’ expected starter Mitchell Kilkenny did not make it to the bump after leaving warm-ups with the trainer. He would give way to the bullpen, who struck out 15 batters. Keegan James (2.0 IP, 2 K), Robinson Hernandez (2.0 IP, 4 K) and Anderson Pilar (2.0 IP, 3 K) each had strong showings. Juan Mejia (0-1) suffered the decision after blowing a save opportunity.

For San Jose, Ryan Murphy hurled six innings of two-run ball, fanning seven. Ivan Armstrong (1-0) followed Murphy with two scoreless frames and Austin Reich closed the win out with a nice ninth. The clubs enjoy an off day tomorrow.

Top Performers: Lowriders de Fresno (Colorado Rockies)

• DH Luke Morgan (2-4, HR, RBI, R)

• 3B Mateo Gil (3-4, 2B, 2 R)

• RF Daniel Montano (1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R)

• 1B Grant Lavigne (2-4, 2B)

Top Performers: San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)

• C Ricardo Genoves (3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB)

• 1B Abdiel Layer (3-5, R)

• 2B Jimmy Glowenke (2-4, R)

On Deck:

Tuesday, May 25 @ Inland Empire, Fresno LHP Sam Weatherly (0-1, 6.75) vs. Inland Empire LHP Brent Killam (1-1, 2.08), 7:05 pm PT

ON THAT FRES-NOTE:

For the weekend (Friday-Sunday) the Fresno Grizzlies became the Lowriders de Fresno. Serving as mobile canvases onto which artists display tribute to Mexican culture, lowriders’ influence on art, music and fashion is deeply rooted into Fresno’s Hispanic community. The team’s “Lowriders” moniker pays tribute to the city of Fresno’s place in amplifying lowriding culture. The 2021 logo and jerseys features 2019 Lowrider Weekend People’s Choice Award winning car, Tequila Sunrise, owned by John Munoz of Antioch. “Copa de la Diversión,” or “Fun Cup,” is a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with participating teams’ local U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities.