Inland Empire Snaps Streaks in 3-2 Win Over Modesto

San Bernardino, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino received a dominant starting pitching performance from southpaw Ryan Smith and held on for a 3-2 win over the Modesto Nuts at San Manuel Stadium Friday night. The victory snapped a four-game losing skid for Inland Empire (7-8) and ended Modesto’s league-best eight-game win-streak.

The Sixers broke a scoreless tie in the third when Gustavo Campero drew a walk against Modesto starer Taylor Dollard (1-1). The free pass was the first Dollard had allowed in 11.1 innings to start the season. Campero stole second and third base and scored on Kyren Paris’ RBI double for a 1-0 advantage. The Sixers added two more in the fifth against Dollard when his college teammate from Cal Poly, Elijah Greene reached on an infield single. Paris then followed and tagged an RBI triple. It was the second straight contest where Paris had both a RBI triple and double; he later scored on a wild pitch giving Inland Empire a 3-0 lead. Dollard took the loss allowing the three runs but fanned 11 in 4.2.IP. Meanwhile, Smith was rolling for the 66ers. He retired the first ten batters he faced, eight via the strikeout before a single to Modesto (12-4) SS Noelvi Marte. He ran into trouble in the sixth as the Nuts loaded the bags with one out but the Princeton Tiger got an infield fly and his career-best 13th punch-out to end the threat. Smith (2-0) allowed just three hits and a walk over six frames, a season-high innings total for any IE hurler in 2021 and he leads Low-A West with 29 Ks (in 15.1IP). Emilker Guzman tossed a perfect seventh and eighth but got jammed up in the ninth allowing two runs. Righty Justin Courtney came in with one out to record the final two outs and earn the first save of his pro career. Keinner Piña had three hits for the 66ers while Paris and Jeremy Arocho had two each. The 66ers stole five bases in five attemps, one for Arocho and two apiece for Jeremiah Jackson and Gustavo Campero.

The 66ers host the Modesto Nuts on Saturday at 7:05 pm. The contest can be seen and heard live on 66ers.com.