Late Blaze Runs Send Ports to 6-4 Loss
June 2, 2016 - California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports returned home to Banner Island Ballpark on Wednesday, where they've only won seven games this season. Their home woes continued in the opener of their three-game series with the Bakersfield Blaze. After the Ports plated the game-tying run in the seventh, the Blaze scored a run in the eighth and in the ninth to edge the Ports by a final of 6-4.
The teams each traded a pair of runs in the first. The Blaze got RBI singles from Jay Baum and Chantz Mack in the top of the first, while B.J. Boyd and James Harris provided RBI singles in the bottom of the first to put the game in a 2-2 tie after one inning.
Bakersfield grabbed the lead back in the second as Daniel Torres led off with a single and scored later in the inning on a fielder's choice groundout by Aaron Barbosa. The Blaze made it a 4-2 lead with a leadoff home run in the third inning off the bat of Kyle Petty.
Ports starter Brett Graves would settle in after allowing four runs over his first three innings and keep the Blaze from scoring over the final four innings of his outing. Graves would be rendered a no-decision, going seven innings and allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out a season-high six.
Blaze starter Tyler Herb gave up a one-out double to Iolana Akau in the fifth inning. Akau would go on to score on an infield single and throwing error committed by Blaze third baseman Joe DeCarlo to bring the Ports to within a run at 4-3. Akau doubled in his next at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, and that proved to be the knock-out blow to Herb as Aaron Brooks (2-1) was summoned in relief. With two outs in the inning, Brooks surrendered an RBI single to Boyd that scored Akau and tied the game at 4-4.
Herb would receive a no-decision, going 6.1 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out seven.
Corey Miller (0-1), who was added to the Stockton roster from Low-A Beloit, took over for Graves to begin the eighth and gave up an infield single to Petty. After a one-out single by Austin Wilson, Torres was intentionally walked to load the bases and DeCarlo lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Petty and give the Blaze a 5-4 edge. It was the lone run allowed by Miller in his lone inning of relief, but the right-hander would go on to suffer the loss in his California League debut.
Lou Trivino entered to pitch the ninth and hit Joseph Rosa with one out. Rosa would advance to second on a wild pitch, go to third on an errant throw down by the catcher Akau, and score on a two-out wild pitch to give the Blaze an insurance run. The run was unearned for Trivino.
Brooks, who would pick up the win for the Blaze, pitched a scoreless eighth. Kyle Schepel (SV, 5) issued back-to-back two-out walks in the ninth and then a wild pitch allowed the runners to get into scoring position. With runners at second and third, Schepel got Seth Brown to ground out to second to end the ballgame and earn his fifth save of the season.
The Ports and Blaze play the middle game of their three-game series on Thursday night. Heath Fillmyer (3-4, 3.52 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Bakersfield southpaw Tyler Pike (2-4, 4.89 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
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