High Desert's High-Powered Offense Halts Ports
It was Stockton that held a brief lead in the top of the first. Stephen Parker hit his seventh home run of the year-a solo blast off Mavs starter Jake Wild (4-0) coming with two outs to give the Ports a 1-0 lead.
Stockton's lead was short-lived, however, as High Desert took advantage of the only Ports error of the night to take the lead back in the first. With two on and two out, Johermyn Chavez hit a pop-up to shallow right-center. Second baseman Tyler Ladendorf, drifting back into right field, dropped the pop-fly, allowing two runs to score and giving the Mavericks a 2-1 lead. Both runs were unearned for Smith.
The Ports tied it in the fourth on a two-out RBI single from Jeremy Barfield, but High Desert grabbed the lead right back in the last of the fourth. With runners at first and second, Smith uncorked a wild pitch advancing each runner 90 ft. Trevor Coleman drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout to second to put High Desert on top at 3-2. Denny Almonte, who wound up at third after the groundout, would score on another wild pitch to make it 4-2.
The Mavs began to pull away in the fifth. Chavez hit a one-out solo home run to right to make it a 5-2 score. In the last of the sixth, High Desert tucked the game in their back pocket. After back-to-back singles to start the inning, Edilio Colina laid down a sac-bunt to advance runners to second and third. Nate Tenbrink would be intentionally walked to load the bases. Smith would then yield his first non-intentional walk of the night to Rich Poythress to give the Mavs a 6-2 lead. Two batters later with two down, Scott Savastano would hit a two-run single to left-center to bring High Desert's lead to 8-2.
Smith would be lifted after Savastano's single and would take the loss on the night, going 5.2 innings and allowing eight runs (six earned) on a season-high 15 hits (six of the infield variety).
The Ports would have one final surge in the top of the eighth. Trailing 8-2, the Ports managed to load the bases against Wild who was lifted with the bases full and two down in the inning. Stephen Penney came in from the Mavs bullpen and walked Mike Spina to bring in a run, then gave up an RBI single to Barfield to make it 8-4. Petey Paramore, the possible tying run, would come to the plate. Paramore, however, would strike out looking to end the inning.
Wild would earn the win, going a season-long 7.2 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out two.
After Stockton brought the possible tying run to the plate in the eighth and failed to come through, High Desert put the finishing touches on the game in the eighth. With Jose Pina on the hill, the Mavs scored three runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from Savastano. Savastano now has two home runs on the year-both coming in this series.
Pina allowed three runs in 2.1 innings of work after retiring the first five batters he faced to open his outing.
Trailing 11-4, the Ports got a run in the top of the ninth on a leadoff solo home run from Todd Johnson, his first of the year. Penney, however, would finish the game by getting Parker to ground to first for the final out.
When all was said and done, High Desert pounded out 18 hits while the Ports finished with 11. In each of the first three games of the series, each team has achieved double-figures in the hit column.
The Ports will try for a series split in the series finale on Monday night in Adelanto. Right-hander Kenny Smalley (2-2, 4.74 ERA) will head to the bump for Stockton, opposed by right-hander Kenn Kasparek (2-1, 2.55 ERA) for High Desert. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.