Giants' Pitching Dominates in Second Half Opener
June 21, 2013 - California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
STOCKTON - Eric Surkamp and five relievers combined on a three-hitter to lead the San Jose Giants to a 2-1 victory over the Stockton Ports on Thursday evening at Banner Island Ballpark. In the opening game of the second half, Myles Schroder hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the fourth before Giants pitching shutdown Stockton for the remainder of the night en route to the win. The victory improves San Jose's overall record to a league-best 44-27.
Surkamp allowed just two hits and one unearned run over the first four innings in the fourth start of his rehabilitation assignment. The left-hander struck out three, walked none and threw 47 pitches. Jose Casilla, Jason Forjet, Cody Hall, Bryce Bandilla and Josh Osich then each tossed a scoreless innings of relief. The quintet of Giants relievers combined to surrender just one hit while recording eight strikeouts.
The Ports took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Bobby Crocker led off with a first-pitch double into the left field corner, advanced to third on an error and scored when Addison Russell hit a sacrifice fly to center.
San Jose tied the game in the top of the third inning with a single run off of Stockton starter James Simmons. Chris Lofton led off with a bunt single before stealing second. Shawn Payne followed with a sacrifice bunt and then Lofton scored when the next batter, Brock Bond, lined a single to right.
In the top of the fourth with two outs, Schroder belted a 1-2 pitch from Simmons over the fence in right for a solo homer. The home run, Schroder's fourth of the season, gave the Giants a 2-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Surkamp pitched around a two-out single and a stolen base in the bottom of the second to keep the Ports off the scoreboard. He then worked 1-2-3 third and fourth innings. Surkamp retired the last seven batters he faced.
Casilla (2-2) was credited with the win after tossing a perfect bottom of the fifth.
In the sixth, Forjet (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO) struck out the side, but had to work around a two-out triple from Russell and an intentional walk to Max Muncy. Forjet struck out B.A. Vollmuth, who saw his 16-game hitting streak end on Thursday, to finish the inning.
Hall (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) struck out one batter in a perfect bottom of the seventh before Bandilla (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) fanned two in the eighth inning. Osich (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) then needed only nine pitches to work through a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Osich retired Russell on a deep fly out to center to begin the frame before consecutive strikeouts of Muncy and Vollmuth sealed the victory. Osich earned his 10th save of the season.
Simmons (4-2) was saddled with the loss after yielding two runs (both earned) on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four.
San Jose won despite managing just two hits over the last five innings. The Giants out-hit the Ports by a 6-3 margin.
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