PCL: Beavers Win Home Opener in Dramatic Fashion

Stansberry was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for the Beavers.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

PORTLAND - Jack Cust drove in four runs and had three hits, including a double that resulted in the winning run in the 12th inning, as the Portland Beavers defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 10-9 before 7,522 on Opening Night at PGE Park Friday.

Royce Huffman singled with two outs in the 12th inning and came in to score the winning run when Cust doubled and right fielder Nate Schierholtz muffed the ball.

After falling behind 9-6 in the third, the Beavers, who broke a three-game skid, got a run back in the fifth when Luke Carlin scored on Vince Sinisi’s RBI single; they tied it in the eighth with RBI singles from Craig Stansberry and Huffman.

Stansberry was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for the Beavers, who tallied a season-high 14 hits on the night.

Dan Ortmeier and Justin Knoedler hit three-run homers to lead the Grizzlies (6-3). Kevin Frandsen led the way with four hits.

Reliever Scott Strickland (1-1) worked two scoreless relief innings for the win, and former Beaver Ryan Meaux (0-2) suffered the loss.

Behind 3-1 in the second, the Beavers (3-6) responded with a five-run bottom of the second, highlighted by a three-run homer by Cust.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Fresno rallied for six runs in the third.

With the game knotted at 6-6, Ortmeier clubbed a three-run homer off Portland starter Cesar Carrillo, who allowed a career-high nine runs on nine hits in three innings of work.

Fresno starter Erick Threets didn’t fare much better, yielding six runs and five hits in just 1 2/3 innings.

The two teams meet again Saturday afternoon at 2:05 PM at PGE Park.

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