Ports Hold Off Giants in 10-6 Win to Even Up Series

STOCKTON, Calif. — The Ports racked up 14 hits against the Giants on Wednesday night, defeating San Jose 10-6 to even up the six-game series at one-game apiece.

The 14 hits for Stockton ties their third-highest total of the season, and it was the second time they had 14 hits against San Jose this year, this time in a win.

The Giants got a run in the first on a base hit from Bryce Eldridge, but the Ports answered emphatically over the next two innings. Stockton swung at the first three pitches of the bottom of the first and got three hits. Dereck Salom led off with a double to left center, Ryan Lasko singled to right, and Myles Naylor drove them in with a two-RBI double to right center for a 2-0 Stockton lead.

In the second, TJ Schofield-Sam led off the inning with a single to right before Jose Escorche reached on a fielder’s choice. That was followed by Nelson Beltran sneaking a single under the Giants second baseman’s glove to make it 3-0. A Salom groundout produced a run for a 4-0 Ports lead, before back-to-back home runs from Lasko (2) and Naylor (6) capped off a five-run inning and had Stockton out in front 7-1 through two innings.

The Giants would chip away at the lead, first in a tough luck fourth inning for starter Jose Dicochea. With two outs and a runner on first, Dichochea induced a pop up in the infield. But the ball would drop directly on the mound as the Ports pitcher stepped aside to let his infielders make the play, but no one could get to it. That was followed by a three-run homer from Jean Carlos Sio (3) to cut it to a 7-4 game.

In the fifth, San Jose right fielder Cesar Quintas drove a ball to right off TJ Czyz for his fifth home run of the year, and the Giants had cut it to a one run game at 7-6 on the two-run blast. The Ports left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, but they would not make that mistake again in the seventh.

Walks for Naylor and Nankil started the inning before Darlyn Montero singled to center to load the bases. Left hander Tommy Kane check into the game, and Schofield-Sam lifted a ball into center that was deep enough to score Naylor on a sac fly to get the lead up to 8-6. Escorche and Beltran would then deliver two-out singles to center to drive in two more runs, and the Ports had more breathing room at 10-6 going into the eighth.

San Jose would put two runners on in the eighth inning against Tzu-Chen Sha, but he would get a strikeout to end the frame. The Giants would do the same in the ninth with Luke Anderson on the mound, but he would strike out San Jose catcher Ty Hanchey to end the ballgame.

UP NEXT
Game three is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Banner Island Ballpark. The pitching matchup will be lefty Joe Whitman (1-4, 4.79) for the Giants, against 18-year-old RHP Steven Echvarria (0-2, 9.00) for the Ports.

It will be a thirsty at the yard with $1 cans of Busch Light, $2 popcorn, $3 hot dogs, and a $8 field box tickets.

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].