Five-Run 12th Lifts Ports to Series Win

Stockton, CA – For the second time this week Brayan Buelvas delivered a pinch-hit three-run homer off Esmerlin Vinicio to take the lead, this time sending the Ports to a walk-off win in the bottom of the 12^th inning by the final of 12-10 on Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark.

With Buelvas’ shot, the Ports closed out their first series win of the season in taking four of six from San Jose.

After the Giants (24-15) took the lead on the very first pitch of the game when Carter Howell homered off Stockton starter Dheygler Gimenez, the Ports (12-27) immediately came back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. With two outs and nobody on Henry Bolte lined a single up the middle to put a runner on for Tommy Stevenson who clubbed a two-run homer to right center to give Stockton a 2-1 lead.

A Brennan Milone sacrifice fly in the third inning made it 3-1 Stockton, but the Giants came back with two runs in the fourth. Andrew Kachel hit a solo home run with one out and an error on Robert Puason allowed Zach Morgan, who singled following the Kachel home run, to score to tie the game at three.

Trailing 6-3, the Ports again rallied back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Colby Thomas got the inning started with a leadoff single, and after taking second base on a wild pitch, scored when Jose Escorche doubled down the left field line to make it 6-4. After Bolte reached on fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners, Stevenson drove in Escorche when he reached on an error by San Jose third baseman Dilan Rosario to bring Stockton to within one at 6-5. With one out, Bjay Cooke flew out to shallow right and Bolte scored on an error by Giants’ catcher Onil Perez to tie the game at six.

The game remained tied at six until extra innings when the Giants and Ports exchanged single runs in the tenth inning. San Jose got a sacrifice fly from Perez and the Ports an RBI single off the right field wall by Bolte, who was thrown out at second base trying to stretch it to a double.

After both teams failed to score in the 11^th, the Giants took a three-run lead in the top of the 12^th. With one out and ghost runner PJ Hilson at second base, Diego Velasquez bounced a single up the middle off Ports’ reliever Yehizon Sanchez to give San Jose an 8-7 lead. After a flyout, Matt Higgins hit a two-run homer to center field to make it 10-7 Giants.

The Ports, however, put together a five-run bottom of the 12^th to win the ballgame. Stockton ghost runner Robert Puason moved up to third on a flyout by Pedro Pineda and scored when Thomas grounded a single through the left side. A two-base error on Rosario followed to put runners on second and third and Bolte brought the Ports to within one with a single to left field to score Thomas making it 10-9. With runners on first and third, Buelvas pinch hit for Nelson Beltran and sent a 3-2 fastball over the wall in left center to win it for Stockton.

Sanchez (1-5) got the win for Stockton allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits with three strikeouts over two innings. Vinicio (1-3) took the loss for the Giants surrendering six runs (four eanred) on four hits with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings.

After their series win over the division-leading Giants, the Ports make the trip south to Chukchansi Park to start a six-game series with the Fresno Grizzlies beginning on Tuesday morning at 11:05 am.