Regular season ends with 11-0 shutout win

MODESTO, CA (September 2nd, 2013) -- The Nuts capped off an incredible finish to the regular season with an 11-0 shutout win over Stockton on Monday afternoon at John Thurman Field.

Modesto (75-65, 43-27) went 17-4 over their final 21 games to win the North Division second-half title. The club opens the three-game Mini-Series on Wednesday night in Visalia, with games two and three (if necessary) taking place on Thursday and Friday in at John Thurman Field.

Nuts starter Ben Alsup (13-8) tossed six scoreless innings to lead the pitching staff to their seventh shutout of the season. With the victory, Alsup finished the season a the California League wins lead. He went 10-0 in 15 second half starts.

Jordan Ribera led the offense, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Modesto took a 2-0 lead in the second as Jared Simon doubled, Trevor Story singled, and Ribera drove them both in with a base-hit against Tanner Peters. Peters (12-8), who took the loss, departed after four innings so Stockton could get five relievers work in the game.  

The score strayed the same until a pair of walks by Omar Duran and an RBI single from Ribera made it 3-0.

Modesto then exploded for six runs in the seventh inning, sending 11 to the plate against relievers Seth Frankoff and T.J. Walz. Tyler Massey opened the inning with a double, and capped it off with a 2-run double to make it 9-0. Harold Riggins drove in a pair of runs in the 8th to finish the Nuts attack with an 11 run, 13 hit afternoon.

Game one of the Mini-Series is set for 6:05 p.m. at Recreation Park on Wednesday night. LHP Tyler Anderson (3-2, 3.25) will start for Modesto, opposite RHP Eddie McKiernan (8-3, 3.51) for Visalia. You can listen live to action online at ModestoNuts.com, with Alex Margulies on the call. The broadcast will start at 5:45.