Late Giants Runs Lead To Lopsided Loss

STOCKTON, Calif. - For the second straight game, the Stockton Ports suffered a double-digit loss. The San Jose Giants scored seven runs in the eighth inning as they went on to a 13-2 rout of the Ports on Tuesday night at Banner Island Ballpark.

San Jose opened the scoring with four runs in the second inning off Ports starter James Simmons (7-7). Simmons issued back-to-back walks to open the inning and then an RBI single to Devin Harris. After Jeff Arnold walked to load the bases, Bobby Haney hit a sac-fly to right to make it 2-0. Myles Schroder followed with a two-run triple to left-center to increase the Giants lead to 4-0.

The Giants made it a 5-0 advantage in the fourth. Haney hit a ground rule double to right-center and scored on a two-out RBI single by Chris Lofton. It was the final run allowed by Simmons, who suffered the loss after going seven innings and allowing five runs on six hits while striking out six and matching a career-high with four walks allowed.

Giants starter Adalberto Mejia (5-4) pitched around situations in the second and third innings where Stockton had a runner at third base with less than two outs as he kept Stockton out of the run column. In the fifth, the Ports scored their only two runs of the night. With one out, the Ports got three straight hits-a triple by Addison Russell, an RBI single from Bobby Crocker and an RBI double from Tony Thompson-producing a pair of runs and cutting the Giants lead to 5-2.

Mejia would finish the fifth inning and go on to receive the win, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out eight.

The Ports loaded the bases with two outs against Giants reliever Chris Marlowe in the sixth but failed to score. Marlowe pitched around a two-out single allowed in the seventh to keep it a 5-2 ballgame.

Trey Barham took over for Simmons in the eighth and retired the first two batters of the inning. With two outs and the bases empty, the Giants went on to get four straight singles off Barham, including RBI knocks from Schroder and Lofton to make it 7-2. Seth Frankoff took over and faced Trevor Brown, who hit a grounder to first that Thompson fielded and flipped to Frankoff, but Frankoff dropped the ball, an error that allowed two more runs to score and the inning to continue. After a double hit by Brock Bond, Mac Williamson hit a three-run homer to right to give the Giants a commanding 13-2 lead.

Barham went two-thirds of an inning and allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits, while Frankoff allowed four earned runs in an inning-and-a-third, as San Jose added another run off him in the ninth.

Marlowe, Stephen Harrold and Jose Casilla combined to retire the final seven Ports batters of the ballgame.

The Ports and Giants play the middle game of their three-game set on Wednesday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Raul Alcantara (5-3, 3.30 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by San Jose right-hander Clayton Blackburn (7-5, 3.61 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.