STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports saw quality scoring chances fall by the wayside early in Sunday afternoon's contest with the San Jose Giants. San Jose, nursing a 1-0 lead the entire game, scored four in the top of the ninth to break the game open and earn a series
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports saw quality scoring chances fall by the wayside early in Sunday afternoon's contest with the San Jose Giants. San Jose, nursing a 1-0 lead the entire game, scored four in the top of the ninth to break the game open and earn a series split by a 5-0 final at Banner Island Ballpark.
San Jose grabbed the early lead when Daniel Carbonell homered on the third pitch of the game thrown by Ports starter Casey Meisner (2-5). Until the ninth, that stood as the game's only run. Meisner would work around a pair of singles allowed in the second, a leadoff single in the eighth and have a runner stranded on his behalf when he was lifted in the ninth.
Meisner would suffer the loss, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six.
Giants starter Mark Reyes (1-4) gave up a walk and a single with one out in the first inning. With runners at second and third and still only one down, Seth Brown grounded out to first. The trail runner at second, Skye Bolt, was caught too far off the bag and forced into a rundown between second and third. Ultimately a tag was applied on the lead runner Eli White between third and home as the Ports ran themselves out of the inning.
Stockton would load the bases with nobody out in the second on singles by Tyler Ramirez and Chris Iriart and a walk drawn by Mikey White. Reyes, though, would get Brett Siddall to pop out to second base and induce an inning-ending double-play ball off the bat of Santiago Chávez to escape unscathed.
Reyes would earn his first win of the season, going five scoreless innings and allowing four hits while walking four and striking out two.
Caleb Simpson pitched around back-to-back singles that started the sixth inning and went on to retire six of the next seven batters he faced to complete two scoreless innings of work.
Angel Duno, who took over for Meisner and stranded an inherited baserunner in the fifth, pitched around a leadoff walk in the sixth, a one-out walk in the seventh and a two-out single in the eighth. In the ninth, however, Duno gave up a leadoff single to Gio Brusa. After a sacrifice bunt, T.J. Bennett was intentionally walked and Johneshwy Fargas delivered a double to left that scored Brusa and increased the Giants lead to 2-0. Carbonell followed with his second home run of the game over the high wall in left to make it a 5-0 San Jose advantage.
Duno allowed four runs on four hits over 4.2 innings worked while walking two and striking out one.
Ryan Halstead (SV, 5), who pitched around a two-out triple by Mikey White in the eighth, would strike out the side in order in the ninth to notch his fifth save of the season and his second of the series.
Following a day off on Monday, the Ports embark on a seven-game road trip, beginning with a three-game series with the Lake Elsinore Storm that opens on Tuesday. Logan Shore (1-2, 2.84 ERA) gets the ball for Stockton in the series opener, opposed by Storm right-hander Cal Quantrill (3-1, 3.29 ERA). First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PDT.
