Ports Post Largest Comeback, Beat Rawhide 9-5
September 2, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
VISALIA, Calif. - Down 5-0 in a ballpark where they hadn't won since April 26, the Stockton Ports staged their largest comeback of the season on Tuesday night at Recreation Ballpark. Stockton scored the final nine runs in a 9-5 victory over the Visalia Rawhide to reduce their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to three (any combination of Ports wins or Modesto Nuts losses).
Stockton faced a large early deficit as Visalia plated five runs over the first three innings. With two outs in the first, Jamie Westbrook and Daniel Palka hit back-to-back home runs off Ports starter Daniel Mengden to give the Rawhide a 2-0 lead. In the second, Gerson Montilla reached on an infield single to open the frame and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
Visalia made it a 5-0 lead in the third. With two outs and the bases empty, Westbrook drew a walk and Palka followed with a single to right that put runners at the corners. Mengden then made an errant pick-off throw to first that allowed Westbrook to score and run the score to 4-0. After Kevin Cron walked, Montilla doubled to left to make it a 5-0 Rawhide advantage.
Mengden would be rendered a no-decision, going three innings and allowing five runs on six hits while striking out three.
After Rawhide starter Miller Diaz kept the Ports out of the run column on just one hit over the first three innings, Stockton began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth and would go on to score over the next five consecutive innings. Yairo Munoz reached on a walk to open the inning and scored on a two-out RBI single by Tyler Marincov. In the fifth, Brett Vertigan singled with one out and scored later in the inning on an errant pick-off throw by Miller to make it a 5-2 game.
Miller would receive a no-decision in his California League debut, going five innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five.
Bud Jeter took over in the sixth and gave up a leadoff single to John Nogowski followed by a walk to B.J. Boyd. With two aboard, Marincov came up and delivered a two-run double to left-center to bring the Ports to within a run at 5-4. After Jeter recorded back-to-back outs, Steve Hathaway was brought in from the bullpen face Vertigan, who reached on an infield single with two outs to score Marincov from third and tie the game at 5-5.
Jeter allowed three runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning of work. Hathaway allowed an inherited runner to score, but none of his own as he recorded the final out of the sixth.
Joey Krehbiel (0-6) took over in the seventh and issued a leadoff walk to Munoz. Two batters later he walked Nogowski to put two aboard and set up Boyd to deliver the go-ahead single to center field. Marincov followed with a sac-fly to left to make it a 7-5 Stockton lead.
Krehbiel suffered the loss, allowing two runs on one hit in his lone inning of work.
Stockton added two more runs in the eighth off Cody Geyer. With runners at second and third and one out, Geyer uncorked a wild pitch to plate the eighth Ports run. Munoz added an RBI single to left to make it a 9-5 contest.
Stockton's bullpen combined for six innings of scoreless relief and allowed just one hit in that span. Sam Roberts (5-2) picked up the win as he tossed three perfect innings in relief of Mengden. Jose Torres made his California League debut in the seventh and struck out his first three batters, but the second of the three reached on a wild pitch. After Torres walked Domingo Leyba to put two aboard, Ben Bracewell (SV, 6) came on in relief and faced Westbrook, who reached on a catcher's interference play to load the bases. Bracewell, though, would get Palka to ground out to end the inning and the final Visalia threat of the night.
Bracewell set the side down in order in the eighth and pitched around a two-out infield single in the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season after pitching two-and-a-third innings.
The Ports and Rawhide play the middle game of their three-game set on Wednesday at Recreation Ballpark. Kyle Finnegan (9-8, 5.37 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Ryan Doran (7-3, 3.57 ERA). First pitch is set for 7 p.m. PDT.
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California League Stories from September 2, 2015
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