Giants Fall in 12 Innings, Home Win Streak Ends
August 2, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
SAN JOSE, CA - The San Jose Giants saw their season-high tying eight-game home winning streak snapped with an 8-5, 12-inning loss to the Stockton Ports on Saturday night at Municipal Stadium. The first five Stockton batters of the top of the 12th reached base safely with four scoring runs to propel the Ports to the extra-inning victory. The loss was just San Jose's (52-53) second in their last 14 games at home.
Christian Arroyo (3-for-6, RBI) and Skyler Stromsmoe (3-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI) had three hits apiece to lead the Giants offensively in defeat.
The back-and-forth affair saw the Giants take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth before Stockton tied the contest with a run in the sixth inning. The game then remained deadlocked until the Ports broke through in the top of the 12th. San Jose reliever Christian Jones worked out of a bases loaded, none out jam in the top of the 11th to keep the game tied, but could not escape trouble in the 12th. Jacob Nottingham started the decisive rally with a single into right center before Matt Chapman drew a full-count walk. Tyler Marincov then singled to load the bases with none out. B.J. Boyd was up next and he blooped a single into shallow center plating Nottingham with the go-ahead run. Yairo Munoz followed with a grounder down the left field line for a double scoring two more to make it 7-4. Dan Slania was then summoned from the bullpen and he was greeted by a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Santiago Chavez to drive home the fourth run of the inning.
In the bottom of the 12th, Brandon Bednar doubled with one out and scored on Stromsmoe's two-out single to cut the Ports lead to 8-5. However, with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle, Ty Ross grounded out to second to end the game.
Sam Bragg (6-2) picked-up the win out of the Stockton bullpen after tossing the 10th, 11th and 12th innings. He allowed one run on three hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Six Ports relievers combined to throw 8 1/3 innings with just one run surrendered.
Jones (5-1) suffered his first loss for the Giants. The left-hander was charged with all four runs in the top of the 12th.
Stockton took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first against San Jose starter Chase Johnson as Brett Vertigan drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on Nottingham's groundout and scored when Chapman delivered a two-out single up the middle.
The Giants drew even in the bottom of the second when Stromsmoe belted a two-out, RBI double into the right field corner plating Seth Harrison, who had earlier reached on an error.
Johnson then gave up a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third as the Ports reclaimed the lead. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Nottingham hit a foul pop up to first that was dropped by Angel Villalona for an error. Nottingham then reached on an infield single before Chapman stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run homer to left center. The home run, Chapman's league-high tying 23rd of the season, put Stockton in front by a 3-1 margin.
San Jose though immediately answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third. A one-out single from Brian Ragira and a two-out walk to Tyler Horan put runners on first and second. Bednar and Harrison then produced back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game 3-3.
The Giants then took their first lead of the night with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Jeff Kobernus walked to begin the frame before stealing second. Arroyo followed with a single into right plating Kobernus for a 4-3 San Jose advantage.
The Giants had opportunities to add to their lead, but stranded two runners on base in both the fourth and fifth innings. San Jose left nine on the bases over the first five frames.
Johnson pitched five innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out five during his 85-pitch outing. Johnson retired six batters in a row to end his night.
Tyler Rogers (1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) relieved Johnson to begin the top of the sixth, but was unable to preserve the one-run lead. Consecutive singles from Marincov and Boyd started the inning before a Munoz sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third. Rogers then struck out Michael Soto, but Branden Cogswell followed with an infield single on a high chopper over the mound to score Marincov with the tying tally.
San Jose relievers Jeff Soptic (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) and Jake Smith (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO) then combined for four no-hit innings from the seventh through the tenth. Soptic retired six out of the seven batters he faced before Smith went six up, six down during his outing.
The Giants offensively, however, were unable to manage a hit from the sixth through the tenth frames. With the score still tied 4-4, San Jose threatened in the bottom of the eighth as Jeff Arnold drew a leadoff walk. Kobernus followed with a sacrifice bunt and reached safely when the throw from the first baseman Nottingham to second in an effort to force out Arnold was late. Arroyo though hit into a double play before Ragira flied out to right stranding the potential go-ahead run at third.
Jones entered to begin the top of the 11th and immediately ran into trouble as he plunked Boyd on a 3-2 pitch before Munoz bounced a single into left. Chavez followed with a sacrifice bunt that saw the catcher Ross try unsuccessfully to throw out Boyd at third. With the bases loaded, Jones though registered consecutive swinging strikeouts of the next two hitters, Cogswell and Trent Gilbert, before Vertigan grounded out to shortstop to retire the side.
In the bottom of the 11th, Arroyo singled with one out - San Jose's first hit since the fifth - but the next two hitters were set down to end the inning and set the stage for Stockton's outburst in the 12th.
Bednar (2-for-6, 2B, RBI) also finished with a multi-hit game for the Giants.
California League Stories from August 2, 2015
- Ports Fall to Giants 6-2 in Series Finale - Stockton Ports
- Blaze Open August on Winning Note, 8-4 - Bakersfield Blaze
- Ports Prevail 8-5 in 12 Innings - Stockton Ports
- Giants Fall in 12 Innings, Home Win Streak Ends - San Jose Giants
- Mavs Walk off on Infield Grounder in Ninth - Lancaster JetHawks
- Streaks Snapped in 8-4 Win - Inland Empire 66ers
- Nuts Slam Rawhide in 8-5 Win - Modesto Nuts
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