Ports Spin One-Hit Shutout, Blank Quakes 4-0
August 10, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - For a second straight night, the Stockton Ports turned in a sparkling pitching performance at Banner Island Ballpark. For the first time on the season, the Ports held an opponent to a single hit as Stockton earned a 4-0 win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Over the final two games and 18 innings of their series, the Ports limited the Quakes to just three singles.
The Ports scored their first run in the bottom of the first inning. Brett Vertigan led off with a single and would score on a two-out RBI double by Jake Nottingham. Stockton made it a 2-0 lead and knocked Quakes starter Jonathan Richy (9-5) from the contest in the fourth inning. With two on and two out, Vertigan delivered another RBI single to right, this time to drive in a run and make it a 2-0 ballgame.
Richy would suffer the loss, going 3.2 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out three.
Meanwhile, Ports starter Matt Stalcup (2-3) gave up the only Quakes hit of the game in the second inning, a two-out single by Paul Hoenecke. Stalcup went on to retire the next seven batters in-a-row before issuing a leadoff walk to Jacob Scavuzzo in the fifth. He'd go on to retire the following seven batters after that.
Stalcup was lifted after issuing a one-out walk in the seventh and went on to earn the victory, going a season-high 6.1 innings and allowing one hit while striking out six.
Stockton plated a pair of insurance runs in the seventh off Quakes reliever Kyle Hooper. Hooper gave up back-to-back singles to Vertigan and Melvin Mercedes to open the inning. After recording a strikeout of Yairo Munoz, Hooper yielded back-to-back RBI singles to Nottingham and Tyler Marincov that increased the lead to 4-0.
Hooper allowed two runs on four hits in one-third of an inning of work.
Sam Roberts took over for Stalcup in the seventh and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame. Joel Seddon entered to pitch the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk, retiring the next three batters to preserve the shutout.
The shutout victory marks Stockton's fifth of the season.
Following a day off on Monday, the Ports travel to Modesto to begin a three-game series with the Nuts on Tuesday at John Thurman Field. Daniel Mengden (3-3, 4.96 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Modesto right-hander Zach Jemiola (5-3, 4.42 ERA). First pitch on Tuesday is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.
California League Stories from August 10, 2015
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- 66ers Chap Rawhide with 18-8 Whipping - Inland Empire 66ers
- Ports Spin One-Hit Shutout, Blank Quakes 4-0 - Stockton Ports
- Alive in Five; Blaze Wipe Nuts Outta Town 4-3 - Bakersfield Blaze
- Nuts Fall 4-3 to the Blaze - Modesto Nuts
- Down to Final Out, 66ers Stun Visalia 5-3 - Inland Empire 66ers
- Quakes Blanked for Second Straight Night - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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