Muncy's Dramatic Homer Helps Ports To 7-6 Win
After a lackluster blowout loss on Friday night, the Stockton Ports provided plenty of drama and excitement on Saturday night at Loan Mart Field. Stockton blew a lead in the eighth inning and then came back to tie the game on a Max Muncy home run down to their final strike in the ninth. The Boys of Banner Island would on to a 7-6 win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, surviving a late rally in the bottom of the 10th to earn their second win of their seven-game road trip.
Stockton opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Addison Russell singled with one out and Tony Thompson drew a walk with two away. With two on and two out, B.A. Vollmuth extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a two-run double to left-center to give the Ports a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Quakes got their first run in the third. With two on and nobody out, Darnell Sweeney broke a 0-for-7 stretch in the series with a solo home run to right to cut the Stockton lead to 2-1.
The Ports added to their lead in the fifth on a two-out rally. With two down and the bases empty, Muncy, Thompson, and Vollmuth each singled, with Vollmuth's hit driving in Muncy to increase the Stockton lead to 3-1. Vollmuth's double also extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
Quakes starter Carlos Frias received a no-decision, going five innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out two.
Ports starter Tanner Peters pitched around trouble on a few occasions. Peters gave up a leadoff single to Jonathan Garcia in the second, but got Chris Jacobs to hit into an inning-ending double-play. O'Koyea Dickson hit a one-out single in the fourth, but Garcia hit into an inning-ending twin-killing. In the fifth, the Quakes got a one-out single from Jacobs and a groudrule double from Bladimir Franco, but Peters struck out Scott Wingo and got Sweeney to fly to center to escape the jam.
Stockton took advantage of a Quakes error to add to its lead in the seventh. Russell hit a one-out triple off Quakes reliever Freddie Cabrera and they intentionally walked Muncy to put runners at the corners. Thompson came to the plate and hit a tailor-made double-play ball to short that was booted by Sweeney, allowing Russell to score and make it a 4-1 game.
Peters pitched inot the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Garcia who stole second. Webster Rivas followed with an infield single and Jacobs hit a sac-fly to center to score Garcia and make it 4-2. Franco came up next and reached on an error committed by Thompson, at which point Peters was lifted from the game. Jake Brown came on from the bullpen and induced an inning-ending double-play ball off the bat of pinch-hitter Pedro Guerrero.
Peters received a no-decision, going 6.1 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five.
Brown came in to start the eighth inning and allowed back-to-back singles, at which point Seth Frankoff was brought in from the bullpen. Frankoff struck out Noel Cuevas for the first out. O'Koyea Dickson came up next and hit a broken-bat grounder to third that got past the glove of Thompson, an error that allowed two runs to score and tie the ballgame at 4-4. Garcia followed with a triple to right-center that scored Dickson and gave the Quakes the lead at 5-4.
The first two runs in the eighth were charged to Brown's ledger, while Frankoff was charged with a blown save as he allowed an unearned run in the frame.
Eric Eadington (0-3) was summoned to pitch the ninth and try for the save. After retiring the first two batters, Eadington had Muncy in a 1-2 count with Stockton down to its last strike. Muncy got hold of the next pitch and drove it over the right field fence for his league-leading 18th home run of the season to dramatically tie the game at 5-5.
After Jonathan Joseph (5-3) pitched a scoreless ninth, Eadington was back out for the 10th and gave up a leadoff single to Vollmuth. After a sac-bunt and a fly out to center, Rashun Dixon drew a two-out walk to extend the inning for Myrio Richard. Richard drove a pitch to deep center off the base of the wall to score both baserunners at give the Ports a 7-5 lead.
Pedro Vidal (SV, 1) came on to pitch the last of the 10th and gave up a one-out single to Schebler. After striking out Cuevas, Vidal gave up back-to-back singles to Dickson and Garcia, with Garcia's driving in Schebler to make it a 7-6 game. With runners at the corners, Garcia stole second base to put the winning run in scoring position. Vidal, though, would get Rivas to pop out to Muncy at first to end the ballgame.
Eadington was charged with both the blown save and the loss after allowing three runs in two innings of work.
The Ports and Quakes wrap up their four-game series and the first half of the season on Sunday afternoon at Loan Mart Field. Deyvi Jimenez (0-3, 6.56 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Rancho Cucamonga right-hander Gustavo Gomez (1-2, 4.66 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m. PDT.