Offensive Outburst Takes Ports Past Giants 10-1
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports offense had struggled mightily over the first three games of their series with the San Jose Giants. That all changed on Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. Stockton hammered out 13 hits that yielded 10 runs in a 10-1 win over the Giants as the Ports salvaged the final game of the four-game set.
San Jose scored their only run of the game in the top of the first. With runners at the corners and nobody out, Angel Villalona grounded out to third to bring in a run and give San Jose a 1-0 advantage. The run was unearned and aided by an errant pick-off throw from Ports starter Raul Alcantara (1-0), who allowed just the one run in his California League debut. Alcantara went on to earn the win as he tossed five total innings and allowed four hits while walking two.
Stockton's offense took hold of the contest in the bottom of the first. With two on and one out, Giants starter Clayton Blackburn (3-4) gave up an RBI single to Tony Thompson that tied the game at 1-1. B.A. Vollmuth followed with an RBI double to left to put the Ports in front to stay. With two on and two out, Rashun Dixon hit a ground ball to shortstop and Bobby Haney's throw went into the dirt and into foul ground, an error that allowed two additional runs to score and give the Ports a 4-1 advantage.
The Ports widened their lead in the second on an RBI single hit by Addison Russell to make it a 5-1 game.
Blackburn pitched into the fourth inning and allowed back-to-back singles with one out to Myrio Richard and Bobby Crocker that put runners at the corners. Russell came up and hit a sac-fly to right to score Richard from third. Max Muncy followed with his league-leading 19th home run of the season, a two-run shot that made it an 8-1 ballgame and knocked Blackburn from the contest.
Blackburn suffered the loss after going 3.2 innings and allowing eight runs (six earned) on eight hits while striking out three.
Seth Frankoff took over for Stockton in the sixth and pitched around a pair of singles and a hit batsman to keep San Jose out of the run column over two innings worked. Tucker Healy entered the game in the eighth and tossed two scoreless frames to close out the contest.
After Jason Forjet pitched 3.1 scoreless innings for the Giants, Kelvin Marte came on to pitch the ninth and, with one on and two out, gave up a two-run homer to Russell that increased the Ports lead to 10-1. It was Russell's eighth home run of the season and it made him 2-for-3 in the contest with four RBI.
Richard went 4-for-4 on the afternoon with three runs scored. Seven of the nine Ports batters got a hit during the contest.
The Ports welcome the Visalia Rawhide to Banner Island Ballpark to begin a three-game series on Monday. Josh Bowman (1-1, 11.91 ERA) will take the mound in search of his second consecutive victory for Stockton, opposed by Visalia left-hander Keith Hessler (5-3, 6.57 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.