Chihuahuas on the brink of elimination after losing game two against Fresno

The El Paso Chihuahuas are in a tough spot in their PCL semifinal series against Fresno after dropping game two at home Thursday night to fall in an 0-2 hole in the series.

The Grizzlies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and held on for a 7-5 victory to claim their second road game in as many days. They are now one win away from advancing to the PCL Championship Series.

Fresno’s Nick Tanielu scorched the Chihuahuas Thursday night, going 3-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored.

El Paso’s Ty France had an outstanding ball game of his own, going 4-5 and driving in three runs.

The Grizzlies took a 4-2 lead into the top of the ninth and then added three more to seemingly put the game away.

But the Dogs rallied, scoring three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Brett Nicholas connected on a two-run double to cut it to a 7-5 game, but Raffy Lopez then lined out to second to end the game.

The Chihuahuas will now need to win three games in a row on the road to win the series, starting with game three Friday at 8:05 p.m. MT in Fresno.

Games four and five, if necessary, will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

The Dogs went 45-24 on the road during the regular season, which was the best record away from home of any of the 16 teams in the PCL.