However, the majority of the 9,143 in attendance weren’t present for the final minutes of the nearly four-hour long Pacific Coast League clash Thursday night.
Yunesky Sanchez’s bases-loaded single handed Reno a 5-4 season-opening win in 12 innings.
In the bottom of the 12th, Fresno turned to Joe Paterson, its sixth pitcher of the night. It was one too many hurlers for the Grizzlies.
Paterson walked the first two batters he faced, and a misplayed sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with no outs.
Sanchez slapped a grounder down the first-base line for a walk-off victory.
Reno’s bullpen almost cost the home team a chance to win its second straight home opener.
Zach Kroenke came on in relief to start the top of the eighth, but he did not get out of the inning.
Highly touted Giants prospect Buster Posey picked up his third hit of the evening for Fresno, following up a leadoff walk by Matt Downs.
Posey moved up to scoring position during a double play, and came home to make it a 4-3 game when Ben Copeland ripped a frozen rope to center field. Ryan Rohlinger’s double to center field plated Copeland, tying the game at 4-4.
That’s how the score remained until the 12th inning despite the Grizzlies stranding the bases loaded in the 10th.
Reno has plenty of new faces in the dugout this year, bringing back only 11 players from last year’s squad. A new face made an immediate impact. Left fielder Jeff Bailey torched a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a first-inning solo home run.
In his first Triple-A game, pitcher Kevin Mulvey helped his cause in the bottom of the second with a two-out double. Mark Halberg fisted a single to right field, and Mulvey followed by smoking a line drive to the gap in left-center field, knocking in Halberg.
The two-out rally continued when leadoff hitter Cole Gillespie drew a walk and Doug Deeds reached out and drove a shot to the opposite field for a two-run double. Reno went up 4-0 after two innings, and held that edge until the fourth.
Mulvey got into a little trouble in the top of the fourth. Posey dumped a single into shallow center with one out.
After Reno recorded the second out, Fred Lewis singled to left field and pinch hitter Brad Boyer walked to load the bases. The Grizzlies erased their goose egg when Joe Borchard hit a comebacker off Mulvey and beat out the throw for an infield single, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Mulvey escaped further damage by striking out Mike McBryde.
Mulvey went 6 1-3 innings before giving way to reliever Jason Urquidez in the top of the seventh. Mulvey allowed two runs on six hits and walked one, while striking out four but did not factor in the decision thanks to the blown save by Groenke.
Fresno picked up a second run off Mulvey in the seventh.
Boyer, a mid-game replacement, hit a seeing-eye single through the hole between shortstop and third base to lead off the seventh.
Boyer moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch and reached third when Borchard grounded out to second. Following a two-out walk by pinch hitter Jesus Guzman, Brock Bond drove in Boyer on a base hit to right field.
The Grizzlies could have added more runs in the inning, but Guzman ran into an out when he couldn’t score from third on a wild pitch.
Game 2 of the four-game series will feature Reno starting pitcher Cesar Valdez and Fresno’s Madison Bumgarner. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. tonight.
NOTES: Fresno and Reno have been streaky opponents for each other. The Grizzlies won seven of the teams’ first nine meetings of last season, only to watch the Aces take the last five, including a four-game sweep to end the 2009 season…Fresno is the only Pacific Southern Division team Reno has a losing record against … Thursday not only marked the season and home opener for the Aces, but it was also the opening for two of the four restaurant/bars in the Freight House District … Thursday night’s attendance was the fourth largest in Aces Ballpark history and the fifth recorded sellout … Reno was 4-3 in games decided by walk offs in 2009.
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