Ports Walk It Off in First Extra-Inning Game of the Season

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Ports first venture into extra innings this season ended with a walk-off win for Stockton, taking game one versus Lake Elsinore 5-4 in 11 innings.

The Ports were up 3-0 after seven innings, before a three-run eighth for the Storm tied it up. An RBI groundout for Carlos Pacheco put Stockton up 1-0 in the fourth. An RBI triple for Breyson Guedez (1) scored Ali Camarillo in the seventh for a 2-0 advantage, before Bryan Andrade singled into right center to score Guedez to put the Ports up 3-0.

Alex Barr was spectacular for the Ports in his second professional start, throwing four shutout innings with just one hit and two walks to go along with five strikeouts. Josiah Romeo was solid in relief, but ran into trouble in his fourth inning of work in the eighth. He walked the leadoff batter before allowing a one-out RBI base hit to Kale Fountain to get Lake Elsinore on the board at 3-1. Romeo exited after another single and Jay Dill allowed an inherited runner to score on a single for Truitt Madonna before a wild pitch then tied the game at 3-3.

Each team scored in the 10th, with a bunt and a sac fly getting the runner in for the Storm to go ahead 4-3. Pacheco made a great throw from right on the fly ball, but catcher Bryan Arendt couldn’t hang on to it while trying to make a swipe tag.

A base hit right up the middle through a drawn-in infield for Daniel Bucciero scored Bobby Blandford from third to even things up again at 4-4 in the bottom of the 10th for Stockton. Richard Fernandez kept Lake Elsinore off the board in the bottom of the 11th, stranding the automatic runner at third base in his second inning of work, setting him up to earn the win if the Ports could walk it off in the bottom of the inning.

An intentional walk of Breyson Guedez after working a 2-0 count put two runners on, before Blandford was hit by a pitch to load the bases. One pitch later, a ball thrown way upstairs sailed to the backstop from Storm reliever Daichi Moriki allowing Max Durrington to score and give the Ports the 5-4 walk-off win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Guedez registered his fifth multi-hit game of the season and Andrade had his fourth multi-hit effort of the year. The Ports were 6-5 in extra-inning contests last season.

UP NEXT: Game two of the series is set for a 7:05 PM first pitch, with the Ports first Silver Slugger night of the season at Banner Island Ballpark. The Storm will start RHP Jesus Castro (0-0, 4.91) vs. the Ports LHP Grant Richardson (0-0, 4.50).