STOCKTON, Calif. - The San Jose Giants turned Wednesday night's contest into a lopsided affair quickly at Banner Island Ballpark. The Giants scored 10 runs over the first two innings including seven in the second in a 12-5 win over the Stockton Ports to set up the rubber game of
STOCKTON, Calif. - The San Jose Giants turned Wednesday night's contest into a lopsided affair quickly at Banner Island Ballpark. The Giants scored 10 runs over the first two innings including seven in the second in a 12-5 win over the Stockton Ports to set up the rubber game of the three-game series on Thursday.
San Jose opened the game with a bang as Steven Duggar homered to begin the top of the first, his second home run of the series. Ryan Howard doubled, Bryan Reynolds reached on an infield single and Jonah Arenado hit a sac-fly to right to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. Dillon Dobson followed with an RBI single to right to make it 3-0.
The Giants enjoyed their biggest inning of the night in the second. With one out, Duggar singled, Howard reached on a sacrifice bunt and fielding error by first baseman Sandber Pimentel and Reynolds walked to load the bases. After Ports starter Brendan Butler (4-4) got Arenado to foul out for the second out of the inning, Dobson drew a bases-loaded walk and Gio Brusa hit a two-run single to right that chased Butler from the contest. Evan Manarino took over and gave up a two-run double to Matt Winn, a single to Ronnie Jebavy and a two-run double to Jalen Miller that ran the Giants lead to 10-0.
Butler would suffer the loss as he allowed eight runs (three earned) on seven hits over an inning-and-two-thirds. Manarino would go on to pitch 4.1 innings in long relief and give up a two-run homer to Dobson in the sixth that ballooned the Giants lead to 12-0. Manarino allowed four runs on four hits while striking out two.
Giants starter Garrett Williams (2-0) shined in his second Cal-League start. Williams' most difficult spot came in the fourth with runners at second and third and nobody out. Williams would strike out three hitters in succession to start a stretch of nine-in-a-row set down to close his outing. He would earn the win, tossing six scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out eight.
David Owen took over in the seventh and, with two outs, gave up a double to Argenis Raga followed by an RBI single to Nate Mondou that got the Ports on the board. Stockton would score four runs in the eighth inning off Owen on an RBI single by Seth Brown and a three-run homer by Eli White that cut the Giants lead to 12-5. White's home run knocked Owen from the game and Caleb Simpson came on to pitch the final inning-and-a-third, retiring all four batters he faced.
The Ports and Giants play the rubber game of their three-game series on Thursday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Norge Ruiz (2-0, 3.86 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by San Jose right-hander Jake McCasland (5-11, 4.80 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
