Five-Run Fourth Sparks Ports to 8-2 Win
August 28, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
ADELANTO, Calif. - For a second straight night, the Stockton Ports used a five-run inning to help them to a win over the High Desert Mavericks. Stockton plated four runs in the fourth inning on Thursday night on their way to earning an 8-2 win over the Mavericks and a split of their four-game series.
As they'd done in the first three games, the Ports were the first team to score. John Nogowski drew a one-out walk in the second, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out RBI single by Michael Soto to give the Ports a 1-0 lead.
Stockton's biggest inning of the night came in the fourth. Jake Nottingham reached on a dropped pop-fly by second baseman Evan Van Hoosier to start the frame. B.J. Boyd followed with a single to right and Nogowski delivered an RBI double to right-center to make it a 20- game. After Trent Gilbert drew a walk, Michael Soto lined a two-run double to right-center to increase the Ports lead to 4-0. After Branden Cogswell drove in a fifth run with an RBI groundout. Brett Vertigan tripled to right-center to make it a 6-0 lead and knock Mavericks starter David Perez (3-2) from the contest.
Perez suffered the loss, going 3.1 innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits while walking three and striking out four.
Ports starter Kyle Finnegan (9-8) allowed just three men to reach over the first four innings. Finnegan gave up a leadoff single to Ronald Guzman in the fifth and Guzman scored on an ensuing double to right-center by Kevin Torres to cut the Ports lead to 6-1. It was the only run allowed by Finnegan who went on to pick up the win, going six innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.
Joeanthony Rivera came on in relief of Perez and went on to pitch three-and-two-thirds innings but allowed a pair of runs in the seventh. With two on and nobody out, Yairo Munoz lined an RBI single to left to make it 7-1. Boyd followed two batters later with an RBI groundout to increase the Stockton lead to 8-2.
Sam Roberts took over for Finnegan in the seventh and gave up a one-out solo homer to Guzman that cut the lead to 8-2. Roberts, though, would go on to retire the next five batters in a row to get through the eighth. Corey Walter entered to pitch the ninth and set the side down in order to close out the ballgame.
After going 6-2 on their eight-game road trip, the Ports return home to begin a three-game series with the Inland Empire 66ers. Dylan Covey (7-8, 3.79 ERA) makes the start in the series opener for Stockton, opposed by Inland Empire right-hander Victor Alcantara (6-12, 6.15 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
California League Stories from August 28, 2015
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Surging Giants Play Three-Game Series at Rancho Cucamonga - San Jose Giants
- Five-Run Fourth Sparks Ports to 8-2 Win - Stockton Ports
- Giants Complete Four-Game Sweep of 66ers - San Jose Giants
- Early Offense Sustains Nuts in 7-5 Win - Modesto Nuts
- Blaze Drop Suddenly Rare Pitchers' Duel, 4-1 - Bakersfield Blaze
- Dominant Paulino Cracks Quakes - Lancaster JetHawks
- Shaky Defense Sends Quakes to Loss in Lancaster - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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