Ports Get Hot in Fresno to Win Finale 11-7

FRESNO, Calif. — The Ports completed bookend wins in the six-game series in Fresno, winning the finale 11-7 on Sunday to go along with their game-one win on Tuesday.

Stockton racked up 11 runs on 11 hits and Tzu-Chen Sha collected his his second win of the season to move to 2-1 by pitching four innings of relief and allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

The Grizzlies struck first when Braylen Wimmer hit his first two-run homer of the day out to left center for a 2-0 Fresno lead in the first inning. But the Ports answered in the third with their first of two four-run outbursts on the day.

A throwing error at third after a bunt by Ryan Lasko allowed Nelson Beltran to score to make it a 2-1 game. Then T.J. Schofield-Sam hit his first home run of the season when he crushed a three-run blast out to deep right field to put Stockton ahead 4-2. The Ports would get two more runs in the fifth inning on back-to-back doubles from Schofield-Sam and Nate Nankil to make it 6-3 Ports.

Elvis Rijo drove home Nankil in the eighth for a 7-3 Stockton advantage before Wimmer hit his second two-run shot to left center to cut it to 7-5. But the Ports would have their second-four run inning of the game in the ninth to extend the lead right back out to 11-5.

Those four runs would come in with just two hits, as the sequence to start the inning went: walk, hit by pitch, single, hit by pitch, walk, wild pitch, walk to end the outing for reliever Wuardo Fernandez. He appeared to leave while dealing with an injury or cramps in his pitching hand after not recording an out and Ports up 10-5.

Dereck Salom would single home another run and Stockton had a nice cushion up 11-5 going into the bottom of the ninth. A throwing error at short by Salom and a walk from pitcher Dereck Corro allowed the first two to reach in the inning. A double by Andy Perez scored one run and a sac fly plated another to make it 11-7, but Corro wouldn’t let it get any closer, getting a grounder to short to end the game.

The win was the Ports first victory in the second half of the season, which began on Friday. Ryan Brown started the game and allowed three runs in four innings of work, allowing four hits and just one walk with seven strikeouts. Schofield-Sam finished the game 3 for 4 with four RBI and three runs scored, and Nankil went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

UP NEXT
The Ports return home to begin a six-game series with the Modesto Nuts from Tuesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 30 at Banner Island Ballpark.

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].