Mujica's Big Day Sets Tone, Ports Drop Rawhide 12-4

Visalia, CA – Jose Mujica hit two three-run homers and the Ports matched a season high with 15 hits as Stockton defeated the Visalia Rawhide 12-4 in the series finale at Valley Strong Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.

Mujica got a big day started for the Ports (37-65) right away in the top of the first inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, Mujica jumped on a 2-2 slider from Rawhide starter Lorenzo Encarnacion and hit it over the wall in left for his first three-run shot to give the Ports a 3-0 lead. Pedro Pineda followed the blast with a single up the middle and after stealing second, scored on a Bjay Cooke single to left center to make it 4-0. Cooke then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, scoring on an errant throw by Visalia catcher Kenny Castillo to give the Ports a 5-0 lead.

After the Rawhide (38-64) answered back with back-to-back home runs by Jake Hurley and Cristofer Torin to make it 5-2, the Ports put up another crooked number with a four-run second. Angel Arevalo led off with a single to left center and advanced to third base on an error by Encarnacion. Dereck Salom then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Arevalo extending the Ports’ lead to 6-2. A walk to Yeniel Laboy was followed a Henry Bolte single to put runners on first and second for Mujica who launched his second three-run homer in as many innings to make it 9-2.

With the score 9-3 after a single Visalia run in the bottom of the second, the Ports got two more in the fourth. With one out Laboy lined a double to left center and scored when Bolte clubbed a two-base hit of his own off the wall in right field to score Laboy extending the Stockton lead to 10-3. After Bolte moved up to third on a balk, Carlos Franco lined a single up the middle giving the Ports an 11-3 lead.

The Ports got another run in the sixth when Franco scored from third base on a throwing error by Rawhide first baseman Gavin Conticello giving the Ports a nine-run lead at 12-3.

The Rawhide got a run in the seventh against Ports’ reliever Franyelson Rodriguez, but the Ports’ relief trio of Franck De La Rosa, Rodriguez and Yunior Tur allowed just the one run to end the ballgame and end the Ports’ four-game losing streak.

Ports’ starter Wander Guante (2-5) got the win allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts over five innings. Encarnacion (0-5) took the loss for the Rawhide surrendering eleven runs (ten earned) in just 3.2 innings.

After concluding their final road series against a South Division opponent, the Ports return home to Banner Island Ballpark to begin a 12-game homestand with the opener of a six-game series against the Modesto Nuts on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm. Tickets are available at stocktonports.com.