Another Walk-Off Win For Ports in 3-2 Defeat of Giants

STOCKTON, Calif. — The sixth walk-off win of the season for the Ports came via a sac fly from Ryan Lasko on Friday night, giving Stockton a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Giants, tying the three-game series at one apiece.

2023 NL All Star, Alex Cobb, started the game for the Giants on a rehab assignment, and kept the Ports hitless in his two-plus innings on the mound. The 36-year-old did hit a batter and allowed a walk before exiting in the top of the third after that free pass.

At the other end of the experience spectrum was the Ports starter, Steven Echavarria, who is half the age of Cobb. The 18-year-old had his best outing as a professional, going 4.2 innings and allowing only three hits and an unearned run with just one walk and seven strikeouts. He left with two out and a runner on in the fifth after his only walk of the game, before Corey Avant came in to relieve him. Nelson Beltran prevented a three-run homer just two batters later, reaching over the fence in right to keep it a 1-0 game.

The Ports would tie the game up in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run from Clark Elliott (1) with a 359-foot blast onto the lawn in right. But the Giants would answer back with a solo home run to left from Justin Bench (1) on a ball that got out in a hurry at 108 mph and traveled 375 feet to put San Jose back ahead at 2-1.

Stockton answered in the bottom of the inning, however, after Nate Nankil hit his first triple of the season off the top of the wall in left, and Dereck Salom drove him in with a sac fly to tie the game at 2-2.

After Luke Anderson worked a three-up-three-down top of the ninth, Elliott led off the bottom of the inning with a base hit through the left side. Elvis Rijo was called out for interference after running on the grass inside the first base line on a little dribbler up the line, and Elliott had to come back to first after initially advancing to third. But Myles Naylor worked a full-count walk, before a wild pitch moved Elliott to third.

From there, Lasko lifted a ball into left, and the 273 feet it traveled was plenty deep enough to score Elliott, as the throw was off line and the Ports walked it off 3-2.

Nankil now has a 10-game hit streak after his triple tonight, while Naylor and Lasko each have 13-game on-base streaks. Lasko also has an RBI in three-straight games, and Elliott has scored a run in three straight. Anderson collected the win to move to 2-0 on the season.

UP NEXT
The series finale will be Saturday night at 7:05 PM, with the Ports starting a major leaguer — and the prized piece of the Sean Murphy trade —on a rehab assignment this time, in hard-throwing right hander Kyle Muller.

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].