STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports capped off a successful homestand with a series victory over the Modesto Nuts Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. The Ports matched a season-high by collecting 14 hits and had a season-high six doubles in a 9-3 win over Modesto to punctuate a homestand
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports capped off a successful homestand with a series victory over the Modesto Nuts Sunday afternoon at Banner Island Ballpark. The Ports matched a season-high by collecting 14 hits and had a season-high six doubles in a 9-3 win over Modesto to punctuate a homestand in which they went 5-2.
Stockton set the tone early in the first inning. With two on and nobody out, Lazaro Armenteros hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season out to right field to give the Ports an early 3-0 lead. Stockton added a run in the second as Trace Loehr hit a leadoff double and scored two batters later on a sac-fly by Jordan Devencenzi to make it a 4-0 advantage.
Modesto got all but one of those runs back in the top of the third. With Ariel Sandoval at second base and one out, Joe Rizzo hit an RBI single to center to get the Nuts on the board. Two batters later with two outs, Jack Larsen lined a two-run homer to right to cut the Ports lead to 4-3. Ports starter Kyle Friedrichs would not factor into the decision as he went 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out two.
Jake Bray (2-0) would take over for Friedrichs and record the final out of the third, the start of 3 1/3 perfect innings for Bray where he set down all 10 batters he faced. Bray would pick up the win, striking out three batters over the course of his outing. Sam Sheehan and Will Gilbert combined to work the final three innings for Stockton without allowing a run.
The Ports offense would score the final five runs of the ballgame beginning in the bottom of the third. Jameson Hannah led off with a double and scored three batters later on a double by Austin Beck to make it 5-3. It was the last run given up by Nuts starter Ljay Newsome (4-2), who suffered the loss after allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five over three innings.
Matt Walker took over for Modesto in the fourth and gave up three runs, the first coming on an RBI double by Hunter Hargrove. Hargrove would advance to third on a wild pitch and score on an RBI groundout by Devencenzi. Nick Allen followed with a solo homer to left, his third of the season, to run the Stockton lead to 8-3.
After Sam Tuivailala pitched a scoreless fifth on a Major League rehab assignment for the Nuts, Jake Haberer took over in the sixth and, with two on and two out, gave up an RBI single to Alfonso Rivas that stretched the Ports advantage to 9-3.
Joey Gerber and Sam Delaplane each pitched a scoreless inning down the stretch for the Nuts.
After a 5-2 homestand and a day off on Monday, the Ports travel to Lancaster on Tuesday to begin a three-game series with the JetHawks that opens a six-game road trip. Mitchell Jordan (3-2, 4.97 ERA) starts the series opener for Stockton. First pitch from The Hangar on Tuesday is set for 6:35 p.m. PDT.
