Big 7th Propels Nuts Over Ports

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Modesto Nuts pulled away in the seventh inning on Thursday night at Banner Island Ballpark, taking game three of the six-game set 10-3 over the Ports.

Stockton (17-31) got a good third start from Luis Carrasco, who extended his pitch count up to 74 pitches in 4.1 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The Ports bullpen would have a tougher go of it though, as the Nuts (24-24) scored three runs in the fifth and five in the seventh to secure the win.

Each team scored two runs in the first inning, as Modesto got theirs with two productive outs via a sac fly from Gabriel Gonzalez and an RBI groundout Gabriel Moncada. But the Ports tied it right back up by taking advantage of some wildness from Nuts starter Shaddon Peavyhouse in the bottom of the first.

Walks by Brennan Milone and Henry Bolte were followed by a hit by pitch of Schofield-Sam. Milone and Bolte were driven in by a Tommy Stephenson single to left center to make it a 2-2 game after one inning.

The Ports would take a lead in the fourth after catcher Jose Mujica reached on an error at third and was driven in by a Nelson Beltran double off the base of the wall in right center to put Stockton ahead 3-2.

Modesto threatened in the fifth, but Charlie Cerny came in and got a fly out and a ground out to end the inning. However, the Nuts would break through in the sixth with one out when catcher Tatem Levins hit a deep line drive over the fence in right center for a three-run home run to give Modesto a 5-3 lead.

The Nuts sent 10 batters to the plate as Dallas Woolfolk struggled in the seventh, keeping the line moving with the bases loaded in the five-run inning. A Moncada single drove in Gonzalez to make it 6-3, followed by a hit by pitch and a single that loaded the bases. Levins struck again with a base hit to right to make it a 7-3 Nuts lead before Blaze Pontes check into the game.

A single, a walk, and an RBI groundout plated three more runs to push the Nuts lead to 10-3 before a strikeout of Gonzalez ended the inning. The Ports would be held hitless the rest of the way by the Nuts bullpen leaving them at three hits to Modesto’s 17.

Game four of the series is set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday at Banner Island Ballpark