Ports Stumble Late as 66ers Take Series

Box Score

SAN BERNARDINO, Ca. – The Inland Empire 66ers scored six times in the bottom of the seventh inning and twice more in extra innings as the Ports fell 9-8 in 11 innings in the series finale at San Manuel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

With the game tied at one after three innings, the Ports (6-9) took the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth. Junior Perez got the inning started with a one-out walk against Inland Empire starter Conor Van Scoyoc and was followed by Pedro Pineda who launched two-run shot to right field to give the Ports a 3-1 lead. After a flyout, Cooper Uhl drew a walk to extend the inning and Robert Puason reached on a throwing error by 66ers shortstop D’Shawn Knowles to put runners on first and third. Denzel Clarke then grounded a single up the middle to score Uhl, and Puason came home to score on a throwing error by Knowles on the relay throw to give the Ports a 5-1 lead.

Stockton struck for two more in the fifth to increase its advantage. T.J. Schofield-Sam lined a single up the middle off Van Scoyoc and after a groundout Perez launced a two-run shot to center field to make it 7-1 Ports.

The 66ers (8-7), though, came back to tie the game with six runs in the bottom of the seventh. With Skylar Syznski on in relief of starter Blake Beers, the frame began when Kevin Watson, Jr. drew a four-pitch walk. After a single and a fielders’ choice put runners on first and second with one out, Vojtech Mensik drove a triple to the gap in right center field to score two runs and make it 7-3. D’Shawn Knowles then singled up the middle to score Mensik and after Edgar Quero was hit by a pitch Syznski was lifted for Yehizon Sanchez who was greeted by an Alexander Ramirez double down the left field line to trim the Ports’ lead to 7-5. After a passed ball scored Quero to make it 7-6, Sanchez picked up a strikeout before Myles Emmerson grounded a two-out single up the middle to tie the game at seven.

Both teams went scoreless through the eighth and ninth and scored a single run in the tenth to send the game to the eleventh inning. After the Ports failed to score in the top half of the frame, D’Shawn Knowles grounded a 1-1 pitch from Stockton reliever Aaron Cohn through the right side to score Starlin Gill, who started the inning at second base, to win the game for the 66ers.

The walk-off marked the fourth time during the six-game series the 66ers won in the last at-bat.

Aaron Cohn (0-2) took the loss for Stockton, allowing an unearned run in the tenth, while Hayden Seig (2-1) got the win for Inland Empire allowing one unearned over two innings.

The Ports return home to Banner Island Ballpark to open a 12-game homestand with a six-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies starting on Tuesday morning at 11:05 am. Tickets are available at stocktonports.com.