SAN JOSE, Calif. — A seven-run first inning wasn't enough but two more home runs and Easton Marks' stellar relief outing helped the Fresno Grizzlies (17-13) secure a 12-8 victory over the San Jose Giants (18-12) Thursday night at Excite Ballpark.
Fresno wasted no time jumping on San Jose starter Argenis Cayama in the opening inning.
Cam Nelson singled into center on the first pitch of the game while Roldy Brito crushed a two-run homer to left-center to open the scoring.
Ethan Holliday doubled off the left field wall and Tanner Thach followed later in the frame with a two-run shot of his own as the Grizzlies’ first seven batters all reached safely and Fresno sent 12 men to the plate in the inning.
Luis Mendez and Carlos Renzullo each added RBI groundouts while Nelson capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single to give Fresno a 7-0 advantage.
Nelson became the first Grizzlies hitter to record two hits in the same inning since Andy Perez did it on July 30, 2024.
San Jose chipped away with a solo homer in the second before an RBI single in the third.
The Giants then stormed back with a five-run fourth inning highlighted by Jhonny Level’s three-run homer to cut the Fresno lead to 8-7.
Grizzlies starter Marcos Herrera exited after four innings and turned things to the bullpen.
Easton Marks entered to a bases loaded jam in the fifth and limited the damage, allowing only the tying run to score on a force out before striking out Andy Polanco to end the inning.
Marks settled the game down from there and turned in his best outing of the season. The right-hander tossed 3.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts, stranding multiple runners while earning his first victory of the year.
Fresno answered immediately in the sixth as Holliday launched a solo homer to left field, his fourth of the road trip, and sixth of the season.
Holliday finished a single shy of the cycle, which hasn’t happened in a Fresno uniform since 2021, going 3-for-5 with a homer, triple, double, RBI and three runs scored.
Derek Bernard followed two batters later with another solo blast to center, pushing the Grizzlies back in front 10-8.
Matt Klein added insurance in the eighth with an RBI double after Holliday tripled into the right-field corner.
Renzullo later scored in the ninth after stealing third and coming home on a throwing error by catcher Rod Barajas Jr.
Brito finished with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored while Nelson collected three hits and two RBIs from the leadoff spot.
Fresno piled up 14 hits overall, with four home runs, and evened the series with San Jose while remaining one game back of the Giants in the California League North standings.
The series continues Friday night at Excite Ballpark as the Grizzlies will turn to Riley Kelly, making his second professional start, against San Jose’s Braydon Risley.
First pitch is scheduled at 7:00pm in San Jose with the Chukchansi Gold Pregame Show beginning at 6:45pm 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.