FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Grizzlies saw a five-game winning streak come to an end Friday night, falling 16-4 to the Inland Empire 66ers before a Fireworks crowd of 5,850 fans at Chukchansi Park.
Fresno entered the night looking to carry the momentum from their win streak into the second half with a win, but Inland Empire capitalized on nearly every scoring opportunity.
The 66ers finished 10-for-20 with runners in scoring position and broke the game open with an eight-run fifth inning that turned a competitive contest into a rout.
The visitors struck first in the second inning against Angel Jimenez. After a walk, Dervy Ventura launched a two-run homer to right-center field to give Inland Empire an early 2-0 advantage.
After Inland Empire added a run, the Grizzlies struck on a Kyle Fossum RBI single in the fourth to pull within 3-1.
The game turned in the fifth inning. After Inland Empire loaded the bases, the 66ers strung together a series of extra-base hits and run-scoring singles, erupting for seven runs.
The inning marked a season-high scoring frame for Inland Empire and transformed a 3-1 game into a 10-1 advantage.
The 66ers continued to swing the bats in the sixth, adding four more runs behind three doubles and a pair of productive outs. Inland Empire finished the night with a season-high seven doubles as part of a 16-hit attack.
Fresno had opportunities to answer throughout the evening but managed just two hits in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.
The Grizzlies collected eight hits but were unable to generate a sustained rally against five Inland Empire pitchers.
Cam Nelson paced Fresno with two hits, while Carlos Renzullo also recorded a multi-hit game. Fossum drove in a run and Luis Mendez added an RBI single in the ninth inning.
Angel Jimenez took the loss after allowing six runs in 4.1 innings. Bryson Van Sickle and Jhon Medina combined to cover the middle innings, while Grif Hughes closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning that included two strikeouts.
The Grizzlies avoided going quietly final frame, scoring three times on a bases-loaded walk by Nelson, an RBI groundout from Ashly Andujar and an RBI single from Mendez.
Despite the late rally, Inland Empire secured their first victory of the series and grabbed the first game of the second half.
Fresno fell to 36-31 and starts the second half 0-1 as they look to bounce back Saturday night at Chukchansi Park.
Ethan Cole will take the ball for Fresno in a 6:50pm start with the game being broadcast in the Valley on CBS 47.
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.