STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports had one fewer hit than the Visalia Rawhide on Saturday night, but Visalia got more bang for its buck at Banner Island Ballpark. The Rawhide opened up a four-run lead with a four-run third inning and never looked back as they sent the Ports
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports had one fewer hit than the Visalia Rawhide on Saturday night, but Visalia got more bang for its buck at Banner Island Ballpark. The Rawhide opened up a four-run lead with a four-run third inning and never looked back as they sent the Ports to a 7-3 loss before a crowd of 5,047.
Visalia opened the scoring in the first when with two on and one out, Ramon Hernandez lined an RBI double to right field to score Marcus Wilson. Stockton answered in the bottom of the second with a two-out solo homer off the bat of Jonah Heim to tie the game at 1-1.
The Rawhide pulled ahead for good in the top of the third. Wilson opened the inning with a triple to right and scored on an ensuing single by Mark Karaviotis to make it 2-1. After Ports starter Zack Erwin (1-1) recorded back-to-back outs, he issued back-to-back walks that loaded the bases with two outs. Adam Walton delivered the key hit of the game with a bases-clearing double to left that gave Visalia a 5-1 advantage.
Erwin would suffer his first loss of the season, going four innings and allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four.
Rawhide starter Bo Takahashi (2-0) pitched around a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fourth to preserve his team's four-run lead. In the fifth, Takahashi gave up a pair of singles and a walk that loaded the bases for the Ports with nobody out. After Dairon Blanco hit a sac-fly to center to bring in a run. Takahashi got Eric Mariñez to ground out to first for the second out. With runners at second and third and two away, Takahashi uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Kevin Merrell to score and make it a 5-3 game. Takahashi would strike out Edwin Diaz to end the inning and what ended up being the last true Stockton threat of the night.
Takahashi earned the win, going five innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out five.
Visalia got the two runs back in the top of the sixth facing Ports reliever Sam Sheehan. After a two-out double-steal put runners at second and third, Hernandez delivered a two-run single to left that stretched the Rawhide lead to 7-3. Sheehan would allow two runs on two hits in his two innings of work.
Andrew Tomasovich and Angel Duno combined for three scoreless innings down the stretch for Stockton.
Robby Sexton came on in relief of Takahashi to start the sixth and pitched two scoreless frames. Tyler Mark followed and pitched the final two innings without allowing a run while recording all six of his outs via the strikeout.
The Ports and Rawhide wrap up their four-game set on Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. Jake Bray (0-0, 1.17 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Emilio Vargas (0-0, 1.98 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:09 p.m. PDT.
