CalL1 San Jose Giants

Giants Blast 66ers in Series Opener, 10-0

Published on May 5, 2012 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


SAN JOSE - Ryan Bradley fired seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball and the San Jose Giants exploded late in a 10-0 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers on Friday evening at Municipal Stadium. In the opener of a three-game series, the Giants broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth before plating three runs in the seventh and five runs in the eighth. San Jose's league-leading fifth shutout of the season improved their overall record to 18-11.

Bradley (3-2) retired 21 out of the 22 batters that he faced during his career-long outing. The left-hander, who allowed just a fifth- inning single to C.J. Cron, walked none and struck out six.

Joe Panik (3-for-3, 2 2B, RBI) reached base in all five of his plate appearances and Devin Harris (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) hit a two-run home run to lead the Giants offensive attack. Chris Lofton (2-for-4, 2B) and Luke Anders (2-for-3) also finished with two hits apiece while Ricky Oropesa (1-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI) drove home three runs with a double. San Jose out-hit Inland Empire by a 12-2 margin.

The game was scoreless until the Giants broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning against 66ers starting pitcher Max Russell. With two outs, Lofton singled up the middle and advanced to second on the play when center fielder Travis Witherspoon bobbled the ball for an error. Carter Jurica then hit a sharp grounder that was mishandled by second baseman Brandon Brewer for another error as Lofton raced home with the first run. Panik followed with an RBI double down the right field line to make it 2-0.

San Jose extended their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning as Anders led off with a single before Harris stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run homer to deep left. The home run was Harris' third of the year.

The seventh-inning rally continued when Lofton doubled with one out while Jurica followed with a single. Then with Panik at the plate, a wild pick-off throw to first from pitcher Manuel Flores allowed Lofton to score for a 5-0 advantage.

The Giants kept the pressure on in the bottom of the eighth with five more runs against the Inland Empire bullpen. Reliever Trevor Reckling plunked Jarrett Parker to start the inning before Harris singled to put runners on first and second. Jeff Arnold was up next and he hammered a double into the left center field gap plating both Parker and Harris to make it 7-0. After Lofton walked and Jurica flied out, Panik was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then with two outs, Oropesa drove a fly ball off the fence in deep right center for a bases-clearing double to extend the San Jose lead to 10-0.

Bradley began his outing by retiring 13 consecutive Inland Empire hitters. He struck out one batter in the second before two punchouts in the third and one more in the fourth. With one out in the top of the fifth and game still scoreless, Cron singled sharply up the middle, but Bradley quickly set down the next two hitters to end the inning. After the Giants took the lead, Bradley breezed through 1-2-3 sixth and seventh innings.

Stephen Harrold (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO) closed the game out for San Jose limiting the 66ers to one hit over the eighth and ninth innings.

Russell (2-3) suffered the loss for Inland Empire after allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Notes: The Giants have won four straight games - all on the current homestand ... San Jose improved their record this season at Municipal Stadium to 13-2 - the top home mark in the California League ... Giants starting pitchers have thrown 29 consecutive scoreless innings spanning the last five games ... Jack Snodgrass, Shawn Sanford, Taylor Rogers and Bradley have combined for 25 scoreless innings with just 13 hits allowed, six walks and 22 strikeouts through the first four games of the homestand ... Bradley lowered his ERA to 1.57 - third in the league ... Oropesa extended his hitting streak to seven games with his eighth-inning double ... Friday was the first meeting of the season between San Jose and Inland Empire.

On Deck: The Giants and 66ers continue their three-game series on Saturday evening with first pitch at Municipal Stadium scheduled for 6:00 PM. Justin Schumer (2-1, 5.20 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while Inland Empire is expected to counter with Manaurys Correa (1-0, 0.48 ERA). It's a Mix 106.5 Saturday in the Park while a spectacular fireworks show will follow the game presented by Blossom Valley Pony Baseball. Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling (408) 297-1435 or by visiting sjgiants.com. The game will also be televised live on Comcast Hometown Network, Channel 104.

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