Peters, Ports Defeat Blaze 4-3
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - For a second straight night, the Stockton Ports got an outstanding starting pitching performance. On Wednesday night, it came from Tanner Peters (12-7). Peters retired the first 12 batters he faced and allowed just two hits through his first seven innings of work as he helped the Ports to a 4-3 win over the Bakersfield Blaze at Sam Lynn Ballpark.
Stockton opened the scoring in the first as Tony Thompson hit a sac-fly to center to score Addison Russell with runners at the corners and one out, giving the Ports a 1-0 lead.
Blaze starter Fabian Williamson (1-3) gave up two more runs in the second as he allowed a one out single to Dusty Robinson, followed by a two-run homer to Phil Pohl that stretched the Ports lead to 3-0.
Williamson suffered the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits while walking five and striking out six.
Peters, meanwhile, retired the first 12 batters he faced and faced the minimum through five before allowing a leadoff single to Yovan Gonzalez in the sixth. Peters retired 21 of the first 23 batters he faced in the contest.
Stockton added a run in the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Thompson, scoring Russell who walked for a fourth time with one out in the inning to make it a 4-0 game. The run was allowed by Blaze reliever Kyle McMyne, who went an inning-and-a-third and gave up one hit while striking out two.
Peters gave up a leadoff home run to Danny Vicioso to open the eighth that put the Blaze in the run column. Two batters later with one out, Juan Perez went deep to make it 4-2. After Brent Peterson singled, Peters was lifted for Seth Frankoff. Peterson stole second on Frankoff's first pitch and advanced to third on a wild pitch. At third base with one out, Peterson scored on an RBI groundout by Junior Arias to bring the Blaze to within a run at 4-3.
Peters went on to earn the win, going 7.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five and walking one.
Michael Ynoa (SV, 1), who was activated from the disabled list prior to Wednesday's game, was brought on to pitch the ninth inning. It was Ynoa's first appearance since August 1st when he had his start cut short in High Desert with shoulder stiffness. Ynoa gave up a leadoff triple to Juan Silverio to open the inning. With the tying run at third and one out, Juan Duran grounded out back to the mound, Kyle Waldrop grounded out to the shallow-playing first-baseman Thompson, and Vicioso flew out to right to end the ballgame. Ynoa picked up his first save of the season for Stockton.
The Ports will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Blaze in the series finale on Thursday at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Ryan Doolittle (0-1, 2.70 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Bakersfield right-hander James Allen (8-11, 5.01 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. PDT.