VISALIA, Calif. – The Visalia Rawhide sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight runs in the second inning, handing the Fresno Grizzlies a 10-2 loss Friday night at Valley Strong Ballpark. Fresno fell to 47-41 overall, while Visalia improved to 37-51.
Cameron Nelson finished 3-for-5 and drove in both Fresno runs. Luke Hansel supplied the Grizzlies’ brightest performance on the mound, retiring the final 10 batters he faced during four scoreless innings of relief.
Fresno produced the game’s first scoring opportunity when Jesus Freitez doubled with two outs in the second, but Visalia starter Jacob Steinmetz stranded him with a groundout.
The Rawhide then took control in the bottom half. Abdias De La Cruz opened the inning with a ground-rule double and scored when Bo Walker lined a one-out double to right. Pedro Blanco and Eliesbert Alejos followed with singles, with Alejos driving home Walker for a 2-0 advantage.
Tytus Cissell reached on an infield single and a throwing error by Marcos Herrera allowed Blanco to score. Walks to Yerald Nin and Adrian De Leon forced home another run before Enyervert Perez lined a two-run single into center, stretching the lead to 6-0.
Herrera walked De La Cruz to load the bases before Bryson Van Sickle entered from the bullpen. Ivan Luciano greeted the left-hander with a two-run double to right, capping the eight-run inning.
The Grizzlies answered in the third. Yeiker Reyes drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Nelson lined a two-out RBI single into center.
Visalia restored its eight-run cushion in the fourth. Luciano reached on an infield single and scored when Walker delivered his second RBI double of the night. After Walker advanced to third on a groundout, Alejos doubled him home to extend the Rawhide lead to 10-1.
Fresno threatened again in the fifth when Ashly Andujar and Nelson collected consecutive two-out singles, but Simon Gregersen induced a forceout to end the inning.
Hansel took over in the bottom of the fifth and prevented Visalia from adding to the lead. De La Cruz and Luciano recorded back-to-back two-out singles, but Hansel struck out Walker to escape the inning.
The Grizzlies scored their final run in the seventh. Freitez and Jeremy Ciriaco opened the inning with consecutive singles before Reyes reached on a fielder’s choice. Nelson followed with a two-out RBI single to left, scoring Freitez and cutting the deficit to 10-2.
Nelson accounted for three of Fresno’s seven hits and raised his average to .243 while collecting his 35th and 36th RBI of the season. Freitez finished 2-for-4 with his sixth double and scored both Fresno runs.
Herrera (0-7) was charged with the loss after allowing eight runs on six hits and four walks over 1.1 innings. Van Sickle struck out four across 2.2 innings before Hansel closed the game with four scoreless frames.
Gregersen (2-2) earned the victory for Visalia, allowing one run on five hits over five innings. The Grizzlies finished 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranded eight runners and struck out 11 times.
The series tomorrow night in Visalia as the Grizzlies turn to Brady Parker. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm at Valley Strong Ballpark.
The Grizzlies broadcast begins at 6:20pm on FresnoGrizzlies.com/listen.
ABOUT THE FRESNO GRIZZLIES
The Fresno Grizzlies are a proud affiliate of the Colorado Rockies organization. The club advanced to the California League playoffs in 2025 and continues to post some of Minor League Baseball's highest attended games. The 2026 season marks the Grizzlies' 25th year in Downtown Fresno.