The
Giants struck first in their first time at-bat, but Fresno
responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the
inning against San Francisco starter Barry Zito.
After the
big leaguers took the lead back with two runs in the sixth
inning, the Grizzlies responded with a run of their own to
knot the score at 3-3. In the seventh, after Travis
Ishikawa reached on an error, Fresno’s Ivan Ochoa doubled to
deep-center to score him with what proved to be the game’s
deciding run. Zito suffered the loss, while Fresno’s Billy
Sadler earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief.
The
packed house also got a surprise following the 4th
inning on the Chukchansi Park field. Grizzlies managing
partner Chris Cummings was joined by Giants president and
managing general partner Peter Magowan for a special
ceremony where the two men signed a renewal of the Player
Development Contract between the Grizzlies and Giants. The
relationship between the two clubs, which has existed since
the Grizzlies inaugural season in Fresno in 1998, was
extended for two more summers, through the 2010 season.
The
announced crowd of 14,084 eclipsed the previous mark of
13,970 established on August 31, 2006 when the Grizzlies
defeated the Portland Beavers 7-1 in their final home game
of the campaign.
The
regular season at Chukchansi Park begins on April 11th
when Fresno hosts the Tucson Sidewinders in Pacific Coast
League action. For more information on the Grizzlies game
schedule and promotional calendar, please call 559.320.HITS
or visit fresnogrizzlies.com.