Giants Come Back to Stun Ports With Longballs in Ninth

STOCKTON, Ca. – Carter Williams and Hunter Mahan hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth inning to erase a two-run Stockton lead as the Ports fell to the Giants in heartbreaking fashion 7-6 in the series finale on Sunday night at Banner Island Ballpark.

The comeback win for the Giants was their 11th straight victory while the Ports were swept at home for the second time this season.

For the second straight game the Giants (43-26) took the lead in the top of the first inning. Grant McCray led off with a double to left center field and after moving up to third base on a deep fly ball to center field, scored when Carter Williams lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 1-0 San Jose.

The Ports (25-44) came back to tie the score in the bottom of the first. With Alexander Campos on third base after a single and two wild pitches, Junior Perez got a big day started with a two-out single up the middle to score Campos to tie the game at one.

Trailing 3-1 after a two-run top of the third for San Jose, Perez struck again to give the Ports the lead in the bottom half of the inning. With Marcos Brito on second and Campos on first, Perez launched a 2-0 pitch from Giants’ starter Matt Mikulski into the San Jose bullpen in left center field for a three-run homer to give the Ports a 4-3 lead.

Stockton tallied another in the fourth on an RBI single by Brito to score T.J. Schofield-Sam to take a two-run lead, and after San Jose got to within one on a solo home run by Ronaldo Flores, Perez again gave the Ports a cushion. With Max Muncy on first base and two outs, Perez lined a double to right center against hard-throwing right-hander Jose Cruz to score Muncy and give the Ports a 6-4 lead.

With the score still 6-4 in the top of the ninth and Hunter Breault on to close it out for the Ports, the Giants rallied. Aeverson Arteaga was hit by a pitch to start the frame to set the stage for Williams who drilled a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right center field for a two-run homer to tie the game at six. Riley Mahan then followed by hitting an 0-2 pitch out to center to give the Giants their first lead of the game at 7-6.

The Ports did not go down without a fight in the ninth inning. With two outs and nobody on Jhoan Paulino reached on an infield single and Nick Brueser followed with a long single high off the left field wall to put runners on the corners. With the tying run at third, Hunter Dula got pinch-hitter Shane McGuire to fly out to left center field to end the ballgame.

San Jose reliever Evan Gates (5-1) got the win for the Giants with a scoreless eighth inning, while Breault (2-5) took the loss for the Ports.

The Ports will continue their homestand on Tuesday night at 7:05 pm when they welcome the Fresno Grizzlies to town for a six-game series at Banner Island Ballpark. Tickets are available at stocktonports.com or by calling (209) 644-1900.