STOCKTON, Calif.- The Fresno Grizzlies (14-11) jumped out early but couldn’t hold the line Friday night, falling 7-3 to the Stockton Ports (11-13) at Banner Island Ballpark.
Fresno struck first for the third straight game in the series, but a decisive middle-innings surge from Stockton flipped the momentum for good.
It looked promising right away for the Grizzlies. Clayton Gray and Roldy Brito set the table in the opening frame, and Tanner Thach brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly before Jack O’Dowd followed with an RBI single. Just like that, Fresno had a 2-0 lead before many had settled into their seats.
Stockton answered immediately, taking advantage of traffic and a tough-luck sequence in the bottom half.
A ground ball caromed off an infielder and was ruled a two-run single from Logan Sauve evened things at 2-2, erasing the early cushion and signaling the kind of back-and-forth night it would become.
The Grizzlies briefly regained control in the fourth. Thach sparked the inning with a single, and O’Dowd delivered again, lining a double into left to plate the go-ahead run.
Fresno led 3-2, and Marcos Herrera had settled in on the mound, striking out seven across four innings to keep the Ports at bay.
But the game turned in the sixth, and it turned quickly. Stockton strung together hits, capitalized on another defensive miscue, and pushed across four runs in the inning to take a 6-3 lead.
What had been a tight, controlled game suddenly tilted, with the Ports doing most of their damage with two outs.
The Ports added another in the seventh to stretch the lead to four, again leaning on timely hitting from Sauve, who finished with three RBIs on the night.
Fresno’s pitching staff recorded 12 strikeouts, but the key hits in big moments belonged to Stockton.
Offensively, the Grizzlies managed eight hits but couldn’t find the big swing after the fourth inning. O’Dowd led the way with two RBIs, while Gray and Brito each reached base multiple times at the top. Fresno, however, went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base, unable to deliver the knockout blow when chances arose.
Fresno will look to bounce back as the series continues in Stockton, with the Grizzlies aiming to regain momentum on their longest road trip of the season.
The Grizzlies turn to Riley Kelly in his first professional start while Stockton will counter with Donny Troconis. The game will be broadcast on 1430 ESPN Fresno.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm Friday night with the Chukchansi Gold Pregame Show beginning at 6:50pm. The game will also be streamed 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.