Walk-Off in Ninth Sends Ports to Third-Straight Win Over Giants

STOCKTON, Calif. — The Ports won another highly-contested, well-pitched ballgame on Friday night, this time in walk-off fashion 3-2 over the Giants to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

It was a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth, when Nelson Beltran led off the final frame with his third base hit of the night to left field. It deflected off the glove of shortstop, Justin Bench, who almost made a spectacular leaping grab on the line drive.

That was followed by TJ Schofield-Sam driving a base hit through the middle to advance Beltran to third, and Schofield-Sam moved up to second when the throw from center missed the cut off man.

Ports top slugger Nate Nankil then came to the plate, who had two hits of his own on the night. With the infield in, the Cal State Fullerton product chopped a bounding ball to short. Bench again leapt up for the ball and hauled it in this time. He had to make a leaping throw to the plate with his momentum carrying him towards first to try and get Beltran at home.

His throw to home was on target, but a little bit high, and that allowed the speedy Beltran to slide in under the tag for the Ports third-straight win.

Stockton got out to a very early 1-0 lead, when Ryan Lasko hit a towering fly ball to left on the second pitch in the bottom of the first that clanged off the foul pole for his third home run of the season. The Giants would get one back in the top of the third on an RBI double from Bench, but that would be the only run starting pitcher Corey Avant would allow in his four innings.

It looked like slugger Bryce Eldridge was going to put the Giants up 3-1 on a long ball to center, but Lasko raced back and reached up over the wall to take a home run away and keep it tied at one apiece. The game stayed tied at 1-1 until the top of the seventh, when San Jose got a run off reliever Dereck Corro to go up 2-1, but Schofield-Sam would keep it from getting any further with a diving stop to his left to record the final out of the inning.

Schofield-Same would get an RBI the hard way in the bottom of the inning. After the Ports squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the sixth, Schofield-Sam would take one for the team in the seventh, as he was hit by a pitch in the ribs with the bases loaded for an RBI to tie the game at 2-2.

Diego Barrera worked a scoreless eighth and ninth, setting up Stockton for the walk-off win and collecting his team-leading fourth win of the season. Darlyn Montero extended his hit streak to 11 games with an RBI single in the third. Nankil and Lasko extended their on-base streaks to 14 and 13 games respectively. The Ports racked up double digit hit for the third-straight game, putting up 11 hits on the night.

UP NEXT
Game five will have a 7:05 first pitch at Banner Island Ballpark. The Giants will start left hander Dylan Carmouche (2-1, 3.02) versus Tom Reisinger (0-1, 9.64) who will make his second appearance since returning from the injured list.

It’s Marvel's Defenders of the Diamond Night with a Fantastic 4 Pack, with four field box tickets for $40. Fans can bid on the Ports Marvel themed jerseys as well. It will be fireworks and Splash for Cash night, and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Night presented By Living 4 Lil' Shawn Foundation.

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].