VISALIA, Calif. – Riley Kelly struck out 11 over six strong innings as the Fresno Grizzlies held off the Visalia Rawhide 2-1 Sunday night at Valley Strong Ballpark, securing a series victory in the weekend finale.
Fresno improved to 49-41 (13-11 2nd Half) after winning the final two games of the series, while Visalia fell to 37-53 (9-15 2nd Half).
Derek Bernard homered and scored both Fresno runs, while Kyle Fossum delivered the go-ahead single in the sixth. Riley Kelly, Yanzel Correa and Dylan Crooks combined for 16 strikeouts while issuing just one walk.
Visalia struck first in the second inning. Wehn Adrian De Leon lifted a solo home run to left, giving the Rawhide a 1-0 lead.
Kelly responded by striking out Adrian Rodriguez to end the inning and worked around traffic over the next three frames.
Eliesbert Alejos singled and advanced on a wild pitch in the third, but Kelly struck out Yerald Nin and Enyervert Perez to strand him. Abdias De La Cruz reached on a leadoff single in the fourth, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Kelly struck out Luciano, De Leon and Pedro Blanco in succession to end the inning.
The Grizzlies pulled even in the top of the fourth when Bernard launched a leadoff home run to right-center. The homer was Bernard’s eighth of the season and gave him 37 RBIs.
Fresno threatened to take the lead later in the inning after Cam Hassert reached on an error and Yeiker Reyes singled into center, but Visalia starter Dean Livingston escaped with runners at the corners.
Kelly stranded another runner in the fifth before completing his outing with two strikeouts in a scoreless sixth. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits and one walk across six innings, throwing 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes. Kelly’s 11 strikeouts are the most for a Grizzlies pitcher since July 3rd, 2025 when Jackson Cox struck out 10.
Fresno moved ahead in the top of the sixth when Bernard drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second when Hassert worked another free pass. Fossum then lined an RBI single into left, scoring Bernard and giving the Grizzlies a 2-1 advantage.
Correa took over in the seventh and immediately faced a threat when Blanco singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Tytus Cissell followed with an infield single, but Correa struck out Nin and retired Alejos on a fly ball to center to preserve the lead.
The Grizzlies had an opportunity to add insurance in the eighth when Reyes doubled and Cruzmel Arias singled, putting runners at the corners with one out. Visalia reliever Anderson Cardenas escaped after Reyes was thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice and Cameron Nelson grounded into another forceout.
Correa struck out the first two hitters in the bottom of the eighth. Luciano collected a two-out single, but Correa punched out De Leon to finish two scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Crooks entered for the ninth and struck out Blanco before retiring Rodriguez on a fly ball. Cissell kept Visalia alive with a two-out single and stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position.
Crooks responded by inducing a fly ball from Nin that Nelson secured in center, completing the victory and earning his sixth save of the season.
Kelly improved to 2-3 with the win. Correa allowed just three hits without issuing a walk, while Crooks worked around one hit in the ninth.
Nelson and Reyes each finished with two hits for Fresno, with Reyes collecting his second double of the season. Bernard reached twice, homered and scored both runs as the Grizzlies earned the victory.
Fresno’s pitching staff limited Visalia to 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine Rawhide runners. The Grizzlies captured the weekend series by taking two of three at Valley Strong Ballpark.
The Grizzlies will open up a six-game series on Tuesday, July 21st against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angles) with first pitch scheduled for 6:50pm
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.