Author Archives: CLH

NUTS SHUT OUT GRIZZLIES FOR 16TH STRAIGHT WIN

Modesto @ Fresno Gm 3

The Modesto Nuts shut out the Fresno Grizzlies 8-0 on Thursday night and stretched their lead in the North division to two games with three to play. Logan Evans (W, 1-0) went five innings and gave up three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Colt Emerson and RJ Schreck each had three hits.

The Grizzlies took the field on Thursday night in second place for the first time in the second half. With their 16th striaght win, the Nuts put them farther back. Fresno needs to win all three of the remaining games over the weekend to make the playoffs. Modesto can clinch with a win on Friday night or either of the games thereafter.

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MODESTO COMES BACK ON FRESNO TO TAKE 1-GAME LEAD IN NORTH

Modesto @ Fresno Gm 2

The Modesto Nuts won their 15th straight game and took over first place in the North division with a 7-5 win over the Grizzlies in Fresno on Wednesday night. Lazaro Montes singled in two runs in the fifth inning as the Nuts took a 4-3 lead, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit.

Tatem Levins hit his ninth home run of the season in the sixth inning to make it 5-3 Modesto. Two more runs in the seventh put the game out of reach. EJ Andrews hit a two-run homer for the Grizzlies in the bottom of the seventh to cut Modesto’s lead to 7-5. Fresno got no closer and Juan Burgos (S, 7) finished it off  with a clean ninth inning for Modesto.

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MODESTO HOLDS OFF FRESNO FOR FIRST PLACE TIE

Modesto @ Fresno Gm 1

The Modesto Nuts caught the Fresno Grizzlies in the North division with a 5-4 win in game one of their season-ending series in Fresno. The Nuts built a 5-0 lead, then held on as Fresno rallied to cut the lead to one in the ninth.

Both teams are 40-21 in the second half and need a division title to make the playoffs. San Jose won the first half.

Modesto got on the board in the top of the first with a run-scoring balk and a sacrifice fly. In the fifth inning, Brock Rodden doubled in two runs to make it 4-0 and eventually scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.

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WILL SIMPSON, ALEC BAKER NAMED CAL LEAGUE PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Stockton OF WILL SIMPSON went 13-for-26 with five doubles, one home run and eight RBIs  to earn California League Playeer of the Week honors. The 22-year old had four straight three-hit games against Rancho Cucamonga. On Tuesday, the 2023 15th-round draft pick went 3-for-4 with a home run.

Visalia RHP ALEC BAKER made three relief appearances against Fresno last week and was named Cal League Pitcher of the Week. The 2023 18th-round pick threw a total of 5 1/3 innings, allowing no runs, hits or walks while striking out eight. On Saturday, the 23-year old pitched three scoreless innings with no hits or walks and five strikeouts.

MODESTO STREAK CONTINUES ON SUISBEL WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM

Inland Empire @ Modesto Gm 6

The Inland Empire 66ers took the Modesto Nuts to extra innings and scored three runs in the 10th inning. Not only was it not enough to pin a loss on Modesto, but they lost by four runs.

The Nuts scored seven runs in the bottom of the 10th and walked off with their 13th win in a row, an 8-4 victory. Luis Suisbel broke a 4-4 tie with his sixth home run of the season to complete a six-game sweep and keep Modesto (39-21) one game behind Fresno (40-20) in the North division.

Modesto travels to Fresno for a season-ending six-game series starting on Tuesday.

Frueddy Batista put the Nuts up 1-0 with an RBI single in the second inning. Matt Courtney pulled Inland Empire even with an RBI double in the sixth. That was it until the 10th inning when the 66ers struck for three runs to make it 4-1.

Inland Empire only recorded one out in the bottom of the 10th and three runs came across before Lazaro Montes was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting up the double play.

Suisbel avoided an inning-ending dp that would have sent the game to the 11th by blasting his game-winner over the centerfield fence.

The stage is now set for a showdown in Fresno to determine one of two remaining Cal League playoff spots. The North division first-half winner, San Jose, is eliminated so it’s between Fresno and Modesto to clinch a spot by winning the second half.

The South division was won in the first half by Rancho Cucamonga, who is still alive at three games back with six to play, despite being under .500 at 27-33. Inland Empire holds down the top spot at 31-29, one game ahead of Lake Elsinore (30-30).

SUNDAY SCORES

FRESNO – 8
VISALIA – 6
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SAN JOSE – 4
LAKE ELSINORE – 5
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RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 7
STOCKTON – 8
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MODESTO CUTS NORTH LEAD TO 1 WITH SHUTOUT OF INLAND EMPIRE

Inland Empire @ Modesto Gm 5

The Modesto Nuts are on the verge of sweeping two straight six-game series after shutting out Inland Empire 2-0 on Saturday at John Thurman Field. With their 12th straight win, the Nuts have trimmed Fresno’s once-daunting lead in the North division to one game with seven to play. The Grizzlies host Modesto on Tuesday for a season-ending six-game series.

Ryan Hawks shut out the 66ers over the first four innings with no hits or walks allowed while striking out six. Gabriel Sosa (W, 5-2) and two more relievers kept Inland Empire off the board, each allowing just one hit.

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BATISTA BREAKS TIE AS MODESTO DUMPS INLAND EMPIRE AGAIN

Inland Empire @ Modesto Gm 4

Freuddy Batista broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Modesto Nuts beat Inland Empire 2-1 on Friday night at John Thurman Field. Riley Davis (W, 8-0) pitched five shutout innings out of the bullpen as Modesto won for the 11th straight time.

The teams traded single runs in the first inning and the pitching on both sides held the line until Batista’s line drive to center in the eighth. Logan Evans started for the Nuts and went four innings with just one run allowed on three hits and no walks with six strikeouts.

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EARLY OFFENSE DRIVES MODESTO WIN OVER INLAND EMPIRE

Inland Empire @ Modesto Gm 3

Modesto’s win streak reached 10 games with a 5-2 victory over Inland Empire on Thursday night at John Thurman Field. Shaddon Peavyhouse (W, 9-5) pitched six innings out of the bullpen and gave up one run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. RJ Schreck had three hits and an RBI for the Nuts.

The 66ers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Jadiel Sanchez RBI single. Modesto evened it up in the second inning on a wild pitch, and then Schreck doubled in a run to make it 2-1.

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BOWEN’S STRONG START, RODDEN’S OFFENSE LEAD NUTS TO 9TH STRAIGHT WIN

Inland Empire @ Modest Gm 2

Darren Bowen shutout the Inland Empire 66ers over six innings and Brock Rodden scored one run and drove in another as the Modesto Nuts posted a 3-2 win on Wednesday night at John Thurman Field. Their win streak at nine, Modesto (35-21) remained two games back of Fresno in the North division.

Bowen (W, 3-2) allowed one run on one hit and one walk with eight strikeouts. The 22-year old right-hander threw 89 pitches, 62 for strikes.

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MODESTO WIN STREAK AT 8, NOW 2 BACK OF FRESNO

Inland Empire @ Modesto Gm 1

After splitting their recent series with first-place Fresno and failing to gain any ground in the North division, the Modesto Nuts have cut into the lead the hard way. A six-game sweep on the road at San Jose got them to within three games of the Grizzlies and on Tuesday night they won their eighth straight game, a 5-3 win over Inland Empire at John Thurman Field. That puts the Nuts two games back with 11 games left to play.

Five of those games are with the South division-leading 66ers and the final six games are in Fresno.

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