Rutledge goes 3-for-4 in 3-2 Modesto Win
Rutledge hit a solo home run in the fourth, singled in the sixth, had a groundball double to left in the eighth and was 3-for-4 in the Modesto (72-65, 39-28) victory. Rutledge raised his season average to .352 with his three hit night.
Bettis did not earn a decision and allowed just one run over his five inning start. He allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out nine in the game. Bettis finished his final two innings with six consecutive strikeouts between the fourth and fifth. The nine strikeouts lifted his season total to a Nuts record 184 strikeouts. Franklin Morales set the Nuts record in 2006 with 179 strikeouts over 154 innings. Bettis is the first Modesto pitcher to record more than 180 strikeouts since Tim Conroy struck out 184 in 1982.
The Rawhide (62-75, 31-36) rallied for two hits and one run against Bettis in the second, but were held to just three other hits in the game.
Matt Davidson had a double and scored on a two-out RBI single from Mark Reed in the second. Visalia led 1-0 through the third, but fell into a 1-1 tie when Rutledge homered to deep left in the fourth.
Brad Wilson started for the Rawhide and kept the Nuts without a hit over the first two innings before allowing a single to Dallas Tarleton in the third. He also walked Jared Clark in the inning, but got out of it with two left on. Wilson (1-1) struck out Mesa to start the fourth, but then allowed the solo home run to Rutledge.
Wilson allowed two runs on five hits over 6.0 innings and suffered the loss. He lost the 1-1 tie in the sixth when Nolan Arenado brought in Mesa from third with a sacrifice fly to right. Mesa started the inning with a single and moved to third on a single from Rutledge before scoring.
Arenado's sacrifice fly was his league best 14th of the season and raised his season total for runs batted in to a professional baseball best 119.
Rutledge added to the Nuts lead with a RBI double in the eighth off reliever Blake Cooper. Cooper walked one, struck out two and allowed one run on one hit over two innings of work.
The Nuts led 3-1 going into the ninth before bringing in Mike Marbry for the save. Marbry allowed a lead off double to David Nick and later saw him score on a force out hit into by Alfredo Marte. Marbry finished the ninth with one run on two hits allowed and one strikeout. His save was his 15th this season and his 13th since taking over as the closer in late July.
The win was Modesto's second straight and it kept them in a tie with San Jose for first place in the second half standings. Modesto pulled within one game of Stockton for the Wild Card lead after Stockton lost in Inland Empire.
Modesto's final home stand continues on Saturday night with game two of their four game series versus Visalia. Parker Frazier will start for the Nuts on Saturday against Visalia's Diogenes Rosario. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. in Modesto.