Ports Rally in Ninth for Walk-Off Win Over Fresno

STOCKTON, Calif. — Ports third baseman Luke Mann hit a bounding ball between the diving attempts Fresno’s first and second baseman with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night, scoring two runs and give Stockton (3-6) their first walk-off win of the season in a 6-5 victory over the Grizzlies (6-3).

Mann was the Ports’ offensive star of the night, as the 2023, 14th-round pick out of Mizzou went 3 for 4 and was hit by a pitch in his five plate appearances. He started the Stockton three-run rally in the second inning with a lead-off triple off the top the centerfield wall.

He’d come in to score on a fielder’s choice off the bat of first baseman Darlyn Montero, when Fresno’s second baseman’s throw home bounced in front of the catcher and allowed Mann to slide in safely for a 1-0 Stockton lead.

An error by Fresno starting pitcher Bryan Perez on a ball put in play by Bjay Cooke allowed Montero to score, and an RBI base hit from Cole Conn scored Nick Schwartz to complete the rally and put the Ports up 3-0.

Starter Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang pitched well in 2.1 innings of work, but was on a pitch count in his first start and second appearance of the season after missing all of 2023. He exited with a runner on with one out in the third, before Corey Avant came in out of the pen. Fresno third baseman Brayden Wilmer greeted him with a two-run homer, and the lead was down to 3-2 for the Ports.

The Grizzlies would take the lead in the fifth on an RBI triple from Andy Perez and a sac fly from Jake Snider that put them ahead 4-3. They would extend their lead on a solo home run from EJ Andrews Jr. in the eighth, but that was the only hit reliever Alejandro Manzano would allow in his four innings of work out of the pen. He struck out six batters and didn’t issue a walk, keeping the Ports in the game and setting up himself — and the team — for the win in the ninth.

That ninth-inning rally was fitting bit of turnabout against the Grizzlies, as it was the walks issued by the Ports in game one that led to Fresno taking control of the contest on Tuesday. It would be walks worked by the Stockton line up that would give them the walk off win in game two.

Robert Pauson led off the inning working a full-count walk, before Conn doubled to put two runners in scoring position. A full-count walk from Ryan Lasko loaded the bases, and Myles Naylor drew his own full count walk to earn an RBI and cut the Fresno lead to 5-4.

That was followed by Mann’s walk-off two RBI single to score Lasko and Naylor, as the throw home was not going to be in time to get Naylor and was airmailed to the backstop, sealing the 6-5 win for the Ports.

UP NEXT
Game three of the six-game set is scheduled for a 7:05 first pitch at Banner Island Ballpark. The Ports will have former Georgia Tech two-way star Jackson Finley (0-1, 3.00) on the mound against Fresno lefty Austin Emener (0-1, 1.93).

It will be the first Thirsty Thursdays of the 2024 season, with $1 Busch Light, $2 popcorn, $3 hot dogs, and $8 field box tickets.

Single game tickets, mini plans, and group outings are all on sale for the 2024 season. For more information, call the Ports front office at 209-644-1900 or email at [email protected].