STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports, following a season-high seven-game losing streak, have now won five straight games. The Visalia Rawhide, after an impressive 14-game win streak, have now lost four straight games. The Ports scored five runs between innings two and three on Tuesday night and earned their fifth
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports, following a season-high seven-game losing streak, have now won five straight games. The Visalia Rawhide, after an impressive 14-game win streak, have now lost four straight games. The Ports scored five runs between innings two and three on Tuesday night and earned their fifth straight victory, beating the Rawhide by a final of 5-3.
Visalia starter Shumpei Yoshikawa (0-1), making his professional debut after being signed last September by the Diamondbacks from Japan, gave up three runs in the second inning as JJ Schwarz broke the ice with an RBI double to right and eventually scored on a two-run single by Nick Allen that gave the Ports an early 3-0 lead.
Stockton added to its lead in the third. Yoshikawa issued a leadoff walk to Alfonso Rivas and then gave up a two-run homer to Lazaro Armenteros that made it a 5-0 contest. Yoshikawa would suffer the loss in his debut, going three innings and allowing five runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four.
Ports starter Kyle Friedrichs, making his season debut, had a runner at third base with nobody out in the second and got back-to-back strikeouts followed by a flyout to end the inning. Two innings later, Friedrichs hit Mark Karaviotis to start the inning and then surrendered a double to Yoel Yanqui, but got Renae Martinez to ground to shallow third, Luis Basabe to pop out to shortstop and Anfernee Grier to ground back to the mound to escape unscathed.
Friedrichs would not factor into the decision as he went four scoreless innings and allowed three hits while striking out two.
Jake Bray (1-0), making his season debut for Stockton, took over in relief to begin the fifth and gave up a leadoff walk to Camden Duzenack followed by an RBI double to LT Tolbert that cut the Ports lead to 5-1. It was the only run allowed by Bray, though, in 2 2/3 innings of work. Bray would pick up the win, allowing two hits while walking two and striking out five.
After a scoreless inning-and-a-third worked by Jesus Zambrano, Pat Krall took over in the ninth and gave up a pair of runs on RBI singles by Alex King and Karaviotis that inched the Rawhide closer. With the possible-tying runners aboard and two out, Krall would get Yanqui to ground out to first to end the ballgame and secure the victory.
Visalia's bullpen, a combination of Mark Lemiex, Cole Bartlett and Matt Brill, combined to hold the Ports to just one hit over the final five innings. Stockton's last hit was an infield single by Allen in the fourth.
The Ports and Rawhide play the third game of their series on Wednesday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Mitchell Jordan (2-2, 5.48 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Cole Stapler (2-1, 1.96 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
