| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Omaha 3, Fresno 1
Thursday June 19, 2003FRESNO, Calif. (AP) The Omaha Royals won an extra-innings pitcher's duel against the Fresno Grizzlies, winning 3-1 after 11 innings.
Going into the eighth inning, each team had scored one run on four hits. Todd Linden scored the Grizzlies' run in the fourth inning on Clay Bellinger's groundout.
Kurt Ainsworth, the San Francisco Giants starter who was on a rehab assignment in Fresno, gave up a run to the Royals in the first. Royals right-hander Ryan Baerlocher gave up five hits in seven and one-third innings.
Grizzlies right-hander Mike Johnson, who pitched four hitless innings, has now gone 9 2/3 innings without allowing a run. The Royals broke the tie in the 11th.
Grizzlies closer Manny Aybar gave up a single to leadoff hitter Benny Agbayani. Alexis Gomez drove in the go-ahead run when he singled to center field, where Jason Ellison bobbled the ball, allowing Gomez to get to third and eventually score.
That gave the Royals their 3-1 lead. Tony Torcato doubled down the right-field line with one out in the 11th. Lance Niekro and Clay Bellinger struck out for the Grizzlies' third consecutive loss.
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