CalL1 Stockton Ports

Season's Biggest Frame Sends Ports Past Rawhide

Published on May 11, 2016 under California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release


VISALIA, Calif. - The Stockton Ports picked a good time to have a big inning on Tuesday night at Recreation Ballpark. Nursing a 2-1 lead and in danger of loaded the bases with nobody out and failing to score in the seventh inning, Stockton scored nine runs, all with two outs, to soar to an 11-3 win over the Visalia Rawhide to begin a three-game series.

Ports starter Daniel Gossett came out of the gate strong as he struck out the side in order in the first on his way to retiring the first seven batters he faced. Visalia starter Taylor Clarke (0-1), making his California League debut, pitched around a leadoff walk in the first but got hit hard to start the second. Clarke surrendered a leadoff triple to Seth Brown followed by a two-run homer to Sandber Pimentel that gave the Ports a 2-0 advantage.

Gossett had his stretch of seven-in-a-row retired broken up with a one-out double in the third by Oscar Hernandez, who scored two batters later on a two-out RBI single by Domingo Leyba to cut the Stockton lead to 2-1. Gossett worked into the fifth and was lifted after surrendering a two-out walk to Cody Regis. Kyle Finnegan (1-0) came on and pitched around an error to preserve the 2-1 lead.

Gossett was rendered a no-decision after going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits while striking out six. Finnegan went on to pick up the in, going an inning-and-a-third while striking out two.

Clarke, who at one point retired nine-in-a-row, hit Pimentel to begin the seventh and then gave up back-to-back singles to Mikey White and Jose Brizuela that loaded the bases with nobody out. Clarke was then lifted for Blake Perry, who faced Iolana Akau to start his outing. Akau hit a shallow fly ball to right field that dropped in, but on the play Pimentel was forced out at home as he had to wait to see if the ball would be caught. James Harris followed and hit a line smash to the third baseman Regis for the second out. B.J. Boyd came up next and hit a slow roller up the first base line that he was able to leg out for an infield single and get a run in to make it 3-1. Joe Bennie followed and drew a bases-loaded walk. Tyler Marincov came up next and lined a two-run double off the glove of first baseman Rudy Flores and Seth Brown followed with a two-run single to make it an 8-1 advantage. After Perry walked White, he was lifted for Jency Solis, who got Brizuela to pop up to left field but left fielder Grant Heyman lost the ball in the lights as it dropped in for a three-run double to balloon the Stockton lead to 11-1.

The first three runs of the seventh were charged to Clarke, who suffered the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in six-plus innings. Perry went two-thirds of an inning and allowed five runs on four hits, while Solis allowed one run in an inning-and-a-third.

Lou Trivino pitched a perfect seventh for Stockton. Koby Gauna entered in the eighth and went on to close out the ballgame. Visalia scored two runs in the ninth as they got back-to-back hits from Henry Castillo and Dawel Lugo to start the inning and also took advantage of a third Ports fielding error to plate a second run. Gauna went two innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits.

The Ports and Rawhide play the middle game of their three-game series on Wednesday in a matinee at Recreation Ballpark. Brett Graves (2-4, 5.28 ERA) makes the start for Stockton, opposed by Visalia right-hander Wei-Chieh Huang (0-0, 8.74 ERA). First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. PDT.

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California League Stories from May 11, 2016


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