Grizzlies take commanding 2-0 lead in PCL playoffs

James Hoyt watched and waited for the call to the bullpen, his adrenaline pumping as the situation intensified.

Then with runners on first and second, two outs in the eighth and the Fresno Grizzlies nursing a one-run lead, manager Tony DeFrancesco finally signaled for his closer to bail them out.

Hoyt knew exactly what he wanted to do next.

Facing the El Paso Chihuahuas’ top home run hitter in Cody Decker, Hoyt decided early he would pump nothing but fastballs to the outside corner.

The strategy worked as planned: Hoyt caught Decker looking for a strikeout to end the threat, then threw a perfect ninth to lock up the Grizzlies’ 5-4 win Thursday before an announced crowd of 9,190 at Chukchansi Park.

“It was a big situation,” Hoyt said. “If he was going to beat me, it was going to have to be opposite field. I wasn’t going to hang anything.

“I felt good in the bullpen. Threw him all fastballs. Just was going to challenge him.”

The Grizzlies took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Pacific Coast League series, which shifts to El Paso for the next three games, as needed.

The Grizzlies can close out the series Friday at Southwest University Park, where right-hander Mark Appel (5-2, 4.48 ERA) will face Chihuahuas lefty Robbie Erlin (7-6, 5.60).

It’ll be a quick turnaround for both teams. The Grizzlies were scheduled to fly out at 6 in the morning for the 6:05 p.m. start.

Based on the excitement many of the Grizzlies displayed after the game, they figured to have trouble sleeping Thursday night.

“That was big,” Grizzlies manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “That’s what we’re playing for. These guys are going to step up in these roles. Eventually, they’re going to do it in the big leagues, pressure situations, game on the line.

“Now we’ll go and try to get one of these next three over there and lock up the first phase.”

The Grizzlies fell in a 2-0 hole in the second inning with starting pitcher Asher Wojciechowski getting hit hard.

Jason Hagerty drove in the game’s first run with a single and Casey McElroy supplied an RBI double to the right-field corner, prompting the Grizzlies bullpen to stir.

Wojciechowski, however, settled down and finished with six strikeouts in six innings. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk.

El Paso starter Chris Smith, meanwhile, avoided hard contact for much of the night.

But soft singles were enough for the Grizzlies to tie the score. Fresno strung four straight hits in the third, tying it 2-2 on Tyler White’s two-run single to shallow right-center field.

It wasn’t until the fourth that Smith became vulnerable to hard contact. And it was No. 9 hitter Nolan Fontana who made him pay.

On an 0-1 count, Fontana launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall, giving the Grizzlies a 4-2 lead.

It was Fontana’s first home run since July 25. The 5-foot-11 lefty hitter had just three homers during the regular season.

“We were watching tendencies of what the pitcher and catcher were doing,” said Fontana , who finished 2 for 2 with three runs and two RBIs. “He went soft away the first pitch and then came in hard with the second pitch.

“I was looking for it and barreled it up. When I hit it, I knew it was out.”

Smith finished with four runs allowed on seven hits and a walk in six innings.

The Grizzlies added one more run in the seventh on an Alex Presley double that scored Fontana from second.

On the play, DeFrancesco also tried to wave home Tony Kemp from first. But Kemp was thrown out for the second out with the big hitters due up.

“I misread it,” DeFrancesco said. “The way I looked at the outfielder, I thought he fell on the ground. I saw him stumble. I thought he took a knee to the ground. That could’ve been costly.

“Luckily, it wasn’t and we got the win.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Grizzlies take commanding 2-0 lead in PCL playoffs."