STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports squeezed out a win in a game they were desperate to have on Wednesday night. Stockton got a game-tying home run in the eighth inning from Brett Siddall and eventually a game-winning ground-rule double in the bottom of the 12th to earn a 4-3
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports squeezed out a win in a game they were desperate to have on Wednesday night. Stockton got a game-tying home run in the eighth inning from Brett Siddall and eventually a game-winning ground-rule double in the bottom of the 12th to earn a 4-3 win over the Visalia Rawhide to pull to within a game of first place in the North Division standings.
The contest started as a pitcher's duel between top prospects Logan Shore and Jon Duplantier. Duplantier would toss five scoreless innings and allow two hits while matching a career-high with nine strikeouts. Shore would allow his first run of the contest in the fifth inning and Henry Castillo hit an RBI single to right field to break a scoreless tie, giving the Rawhide a 1-0 lead.
Wei-Chieh Huang took over for Duplantier to begin the sixth and retired his first two batters. Seth Brown would extend the inning by drawing a walk and Mikey White singled to left. After Eli White walked to load the bases, Branden Cogswell lined an RBI single to right to score a pair of runs and give the Ports a 2-1 lead.
Shore would give the lead back in the seventh and see a solid outing end on a sour note. With one on and two out, Shore gave up a two-run homer to Jorge Flores on an 0-2 pitch that vaulted Visalia back in front 3-2. Shore would complete the seventh inning and be rendered a no-decision after allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out six.
Yoan López took over for Visalia in the eighth and surrendered a leadoff home run to Siddall, just the second run he's allowed in the month of August. Siddall's home run was his 20th of the season and tied the game at 3-3. It was the only run allowed by Lopez in two innings of work.
Kyle Friedrichs would come on to start the eighth inning in relief of Shore and go on to work four perfect frames while striking out four.
Keegan Long entered to begin the 10th for Visalia and, with runners at first and second with two outs, gave up a single to right to Eli White. Siddall tried to round third and score and was thrown out at the plate by Fernery Ozuna to end the inning. Long would go on to pitch a scoreless 11th inning for the Rawhide.
Nick Baker (1-3) would enter the game to pitch the 12th inning and, with two on and one out, gave up an opposite-field ground-rule double to Mikey White that bounced on the warning track and over the right-center field fence, allowing Siddall to score from second base and give the Ports a 4-3 walk-off win.
The Ports and Rawhide play the rubber game of their three-game set on Thursday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Brandon Bailey (1-1, 4.97 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Bo Takahashi (7-9, 4.50 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
