MODESTO, Calif. - The Stockton Ports came one double away from matching a California League record on Sunday night at John Thurman Field. The Boys of Banner Island belted 10 doubles and 11 total extra-base hits on their way to an 8-1 romp of the Modesto Nuts to gain the
MODESTO, Calif. - The Stockton Ports came one double away from matching a California League record on Sunday night at John Thurman Field. The Boys of Banner Island belted 10 doubles and 11 total extra-base hits on their way to an 8-1 romp of the Modesto Nuts to gain the upper hand in a four-game series that concludes on Monday.
Stockton's offense came out of the gate hot in the top of the first. After Brallan Perez was hit by a pitch to open the game, Chase Calabuig and Luke Persico hit back-to-back doubles to give the Ports a 2-0 lead. Brett Siddall added a sac-fly to right later in the inning to plate a third Ports run.
Modesto's lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the first. With one out, Kevin Santa doubled and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Anthony Jimenez to cut the Ports lead to 3-1. Stockton starter Evan Manarino (3-2) would work the next five innings without allowing a run as he went on to earn the win, tossing six frames and allowing six hits while striking out three without issuing a walk.
The doubles kept on coming for the Ports. Collin Theroux doubled to lead off the second and scored on another two-out double by Calabuig to get the lead back to three runs at 4-1. Nuts starter Erik Espinal (0-1), who made his California League debut, worked into the third and gave up back-to-back doubles to Sandber Pimentel and Will Toffey followed by another sac-fly to Siddall that made it 5-1. Theroux added a two-out triple that scored Toffey and ran the Stockton lead to 6-1 and knocked Espinal from the contest.
Espinal would suffer the loss, going two-and-two-thirds innings and allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out two.
After Jefferson Medina worked three-and-a-third scoreless innings for the Nuts, David Elligson took over in the seventh and mad his Cal-League debut. Elligson gave up a leadoff double to Persico who scored two batters later on Toffey's second double of the night to run the lead to 7-1. It was the only run allowed by Elligson in his two innings of work.
Seth Elledge took over for the Nuts in the ninth. Elledge, who hadn't allowed an earned run since April 19, gave up a leadoff double to Persico and then walked the next two batters to load the bases. After a strikeout of Siddall, Santiago Chávez would put a sac-fly in play to center field that plated Persico and made it an 8-1 game, ending Elledge's consecutive innings streak without an earned run at 22.2.
Brendan Butler and Andrew Tomasovich combined to work the final three innings for Stockton without allowing a run.
Persico, who went 3-for-4, joined Jonah Heim and Nate Mondou as the only Ports to hit three doubles in a game on the season.
The Ports and Nuts wrap up their four-game set on Monday night at John Thurman Field. Matt Milburn (5-3, 3.83 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Modesto right-hander Ashton Goudeau (1-0, 3.00 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.
