Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon
Single-A Affiliate
The Official Site of the Stockton Ports Stockton Ports

Williamson Blasts Giants Past Ports 8-5

July 27, 2013

STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports were looking to climb back over the .500 mark on Saturday night at Banner Island Ballpark, but Mac Williamson had other ideas. The San Jose Giants designated hitter hit two home runs and drove in five as the Ports dropped the second game of their three-game series with the Giants by a final of 8-5.

The Giants opened the scoring in the first as Brock Bond doubled to open the game and scored three batters later on a sac-fly off the bat of Ricky Oropesa to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

Stockton countered with three runs in the second on back-to-back home runs hit off Giants starter Kelvin Marte (4-2). With one on and one out, Antonio Lamas hit his 10th home run of the season out to right field to put the Ports in front. Dusty Robinson followed with his 17th home run of the season to make it a 3-1 Stockton lead.

The two runs in the second were the only runs allowed by Marte, who picked up his second straight win over the Ports after going six innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six.

San Jose plated its second run in the third inning on another sac-fly by Oropesa, driving in Bond who walked to open the frame. The Giants tied it in the fourth on a leadoff home run by Devin Harris off Ports starter James Simmons (7-5).

The Giants took the lead back in the fifth. With one on and one out, Williamson hit a two-run homer to right off Simmons to make it a 5-3 game. Simmons went on to retire his final five batters after surrendering the homer to Williamson, but suffered his second straight loss at the hands of the Giants, going six innings and allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four.

Shaeffer Hall took over for Simmons in the seventh and gave up three straight hits with one out. Bond singled, Matt Duffy singled, and Williamson hit a three-run homer to left, his second of the night, to increase the Giants lead to 8-3. The three hits were the only hits allowed by Hall in three innings of relief.

Jeff Soptic took over in relief for the Giants in the seventh inning. Soptic walked Robinson to start the inning and then fielded a comebacker hit by Bruce Maxwell. Soptic's throw to second to start a double-play went into center field, keeping two aboard with nobody out. With one out, Bobby Crocker doubled to right to drive in Robinson and Myrio Richard grounded out to third to bring in Maxwell to make it an 8-5 game. Both runs that Soptic allowed were unearned in his lone inning of relief.

After a scoreless eighth inning worked by Stephen Harrold, Derek Law (SV, 5) came on to try for the save in the ninth. With one out, Wade Kirkland singled, Crocker singled and Richard was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With the tying runs aboard, Law recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Josh Whitaker and B.A. Vollmuth to end the ballgame, earning his fifth save in as many opportunities.

The Ports and Giants play the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday at Banner Island Ballpark. Tanner Peters (9-5, 4.07 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by San Jose right-hander Jason Forjet (3-1, 3.03 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.