51s fall at Fresno for only second loss in past 10 games

Matt Duffy had a home run and three RBIs to back Dan Straily’s strong pitching, lifting the Fresno Grizzlies to a 7-2 win over the 51s in a Pacific Coast League game Saturday in Fresno, Calif.

Duffy hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his eighth homer of the season, to give the Grizzlies (42-27) a lead they didn’t relinquish.

Straily (6-5) gave up two runs on five hits and one walk and struck out three in six innings, handing Las Vegas (39-31) its second loss in 10 games.

Both of the 51s’ runs scored on homers. Alex Castellanos hit his 12th of the season with two outs in the fourth, and Anthony Recker connected leading off the fifth.

Las Vegas had a golden chance to tack on more fifth-inning runs, thanks to two singles, a walk and a balk. But Wilfredo Tovar was caught stealing, and Brooks Conrad struck out to end the threat.

Fresno scored in the fourth on Nolan Fontana’s sacrifice fly and Tony Kemp’s two-out RBI single, and the Grizzlies increased their lead to 6-2 in the fifth on Robbie Grossman’s RBI double and Joe Sclafani’s RBI single.

Alex Presley went 3-for-3 and scored twice for Pacific North Division-leading Fresno, and Grossman and Kemp had two hits apiece.

51s starter Darin Gorski (4-6) gave up six runs on seven hits and four walks and struck out three in 4 1/3 innings.

Brandon Allen and Jayce Boyd each went 2-for-4 for Pacific South Division-leading Las Vegas, which was outhit 9-8 and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.