Late Ports Push Falls Short In 9-6 Loss

STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports scored four runs in the ninth inning but ultimately saw their rally fall short on Monday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Stockton, trailing 9-2 heading into the ninth inning, managed to get the possible-tying run to the plate but came up short in a 9-6 loss to the Visalia Rawhide in the second game of a three-game series.
Sean Manaea (0-1) started the game on a Major League rehab assignment for Stockton and allowed four hits in the first inning, including RBI singles from Luis Basabe and Alex King that gave the Rawhide a 2-0 lead. A pair of errors in the second inning committed by third baseman Trace Loehr led to two unearned runs in the second as Visalia doubled its lead to 4-0.
Manaea worked into the third and gave up a pair of singles and was lifted with two on and one out. Brady Feigl came on and gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Tim Susnara and Jorge Perez that made it a 7-0 Rawhide advantage. Two of the three runs in the third were charged to Manaea, who suffered the loss after going 2 1/3 innings and allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out two.
Feigl would work 4 2/3 innings and allow two more runs in the fifth inning on three straight two-out hits; back-to-back doubles by Susnara and Perez followed by an RBI single by Jancarlos Cintron to make it 9-0. Feigl would allow three runs on a career-high 10 hits while striking out five.
Rawhide starter Justin Vernia (5-0) allowed one run on four hits in his six innings of work, with the lone run scoring in the fifth on an RBI double by Ryan Gridley that made it 9-1. Gridley would earn the victory in the contest.
Mack Lemieux came on to start the seventh and retired the first five batters he faced before allowing a run in the eighth on back-to-back two-out hits by Jeremy Eierman and Jonah Bride.
Lemieux worked into the ninth and, after retiring Robert Mullen to open the inning, allowed the next five batters to reach. Mickey McDonald, Jordan Devencenzi and Josh Watson singled with Watson driving in McDonald. After Gridley singled to load the bases, Trace Loehr was hit with a pitch to bring in a run and chase Lemieux from the game. Luis Castillo (SV, 1) was summoned from the bullpen and walked Eierman to bring in another run to make it 9-5. After Bride hit a sac-fly to center to make it 9-6, Lazaro Armenteros came up and struck out swinging to end the ballgame.
Lemieux, who'd allowed just two runs all season coming into the outing, gave up five runs on six hits over 2 1/3 innings. Castillo, who did not allow a run of his own, recorded his first save of the season.
The Ports and Rawhide play the rubber game of their series on Tuesday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Mitchell Jordan (6-5, 5.14 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Shumpei Yoshikawa (3-5, 3.91 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.