Brown Blasts Ports To 6-3 Win Over Blaze
August 18, 2008 - California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - If only for three games, the Stockton Ports are very happy to return home. Following six games on the road in which they went 3-3, the Ports returned to Banner Island Ballpark on Sunday and flexed their home run muscle in the first of a three-game set with the Bakersfield Blaze. Corey Brown launched two home runs and Derrick Gordon (4-4) tossed five scoreless frames to help lift the Ports extinguish the Blaze by a final of 6-3.
Brown put the Ports on the board first in the bottom of the third. On the inning's very first pitch, Brown it a solo home run off Blaze starter Glenn Swanson (1-3) to give the Ports a 1-0 lead. Brown would strike again in the fifth. Following a leadoff single from Josh Donaldson, Brown launched a two-run homer to right to give the Ports a 3-0 lead. Jermaine Mitchell followed with a solo blast of his own to make it 4-0.
Swanson was lifted after the fourth inning and would end up with the loss, going four innings and allowing four runs on four hits while striking out four.
Gordon, after allowing six runs in just two-thirds of an inning in Bakersfield on Tuesday, got his redemption. Gordon was impressive, tossing five scoreless frames for the Ports. At one point, Gordon had six straight put-outs that were strikeouts. He would finish his night after five innings, allowing just two hits while walking three and striking out a season-high seven.
Stockton tacked on two more runs in the sixth with Blaze reliever Daniel Sattler on the hill. With runners at second and third and two out, Brown struck out, but the ball got by Blaze catcher Chris Gradoville, allowing Chris Carter to score from third. Mitchell followed with an RBI double to right, scoring Matt Spencer and increasing the Ports lead to 6-0.
Bakersfield's big inning came in the seventh with James Heuser on the hill. In his second inning of work, Heuser allowed an infield single to Truan Mehl, and Erick Morrison then reached on an error made by Ports third baseman Alex Valdez. On the same play, the left fielder Mitchell had the ball go by him--another error that allowed Mehl to advance to third, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. K.C. Herren followed with a sac-fly to left to put the Blaze on the board. Two batters later, Renny Osuna added a run on an RBI single to center--the first of three straight two-out singles. Ian Gac provided the third of those hits with an RBI single to center to make it 6-3. None of the runs Heuser allowed in the seventh were earned runs, and the seventh was the only inning in which the Blaze scored.
Sam Demel escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, and Pat Currin (SV, 7) notched his seventh save of the season by hurling a perfect ninth. Currin is now seven-for-seven in save chances on the season.
With the win, the Ports reduce their magic number needed to clinch a playoff berth to five. Any combination of Ports wins and Blaze losses equaling five will assure the Ports of a spot in the 2008 playoffs.
Stockton and Bakersfield will play the second game of their three-game set on Monday at Banner Island Ballpark. Travis Banwart (2-2, 4.14 ERA) will head to the mound for the Ports, opposed by Blaze left-hander Zach Phillips (7-8, 6.24 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.
California League Stories from August 18, 2008
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- Big Inning Costs Pucetas His First Loss - San Jose Giants
- Brown Blasts Ports To 6-3 Win Over Blaze - Stockton Ports
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