Ports Strike Back to Win Series Versus Visalia

STOCKTON, Calif. — The Ports got right back in the win column on Saturday night, this time by completing a comeback to win their first series of the season via a 5-4 win over Visalia.

The Rawhide got on the board in the third with a solo home run, but Stockton answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Casey Yamauchi led off the frame with a double to left, and Cole Conn would drive him home with one-out on a base hit down the line just inside the third-base bag for a 1-1 game.

The Ports would strand two runners that inning, however, and leave the bases loaded in the fourth. It looked like that might come back to bite Stockton when Visalia left fielder Junior Franco homered out to deep right for a three-run bomb to put the Rawhide ahead 4-1.

Stockton would again answer in the bottom of the inning, when Nelson Beltran’s first hit of the season rattled around in the left field corner. The Ports right fielder was waved home and slid in safely for an inside-the-park home run, making it a 4-2 game.

The home team would get two more runs in the seventh to tie the game. Conn led off the frame with a walk, Luke Mann singled through the right side, and Darlyn Montero plated Conn with a fielder’s choice. Yeniel Laboy would get a hit inside the third base bag as well to score Montero, and the game was knotted up at 4-4.

Yamauchi led off led off the eighth with a single to right, as the Ports second baseman again led off the inning to start a rally. Conn would single to left to score Yamauchi to put Stockton ahead 5-4, but would be thrown out trying to stretch it into a double for the second out. Infield singles for Mann and Montero would extend the inning, before the Rawhide ended the threat with a strikeout of Pedro Pineda.

The ninth would start off a little shaky for the Ports and Alejandro Manzano, as he entered his fourth inning of work by walking the first two batters he’d face. Lefty Diego Barrera entered the game in relief and had to face his former teammate at LMU in Cole Roberts. The pinch hitter tried to get a bunt down and continued to square up with two strikes, but fouled out for the first out of the inning.

Barrera would get the next two batters to line out to right, with the final out of the game coming on a diving play from Beltran to nab a sinking liner before it hit the outfield grass, closing out the game in dramatic fashion.

Starter Chen Zhuang went five innings and allowed just the solo home run to Marte, and did not walk a batter while striking out four on 59 pitches. Manzano collected the win as he settled in after the bumpy sixth inning to retire six straight after that, and Barrera got his first save as a professional.

UP NEXT
The Ports will close out the series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 2:09 p.m. They’ll start Jackson Finley (0-2, 5.40) versus Adonis Perez (1-1, 4.96). Stockton will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Breakfast Nachos as the food item of the day featuring chorizo, scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, and guac in concessions.

Single game tickets, mini plans, and group outings are all on sale for the 2024 season. For more information, call the Ports front office at 209-644-1900 or email at [email protected].