Ports Outslug Storm to Earn Series Split

Box Score

STOCKTON, Ca. – The Ports cranked out 13 hits and scored three runs in four separate innings in a 13-8 win over the Lake Elsinore Storm in the series finale on Sunday evening at Banner Island Ballpark. With the win, the Ports earned their second straight series split.

Trailing 1-0 after the Storm (66-48) tallied an unearned run off Stockton starter Mitch Myers in the top of the second, the Ports (41-73) stormed back with a three-run bottom of the inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Cooper Uhl tied the game at one with an RBI groundout to second base to score T.J. Schofield-Sam from third base. Junior Perez followed with a towering drive to left field that cleared the wall and landed in the Ports’ bullpen for a two-run homer, making it 3-1.

After the Storm plated another in the top of the third, the Ports notched another three-run frame in the bottom of the inning. Tommy Stevenson led off with a double to right center and scored on a single to left center by Cameron Masterman to give the Ports a two-run lead again at 4-2. Schofield-Sam then clubbed an RBI triple to right center to score Masterman from second base making it 5-2, and Milone reached on an error by Lake Elsinore shortstop Wyatt Hoffman to give the Ports a 6-2 advantage.

The Ports were back at it again with a three-run fourth. After Perez walked to start the inning, Danny Bautista extended his hitting streak to seven games with a triple to left field that drove in Perez to extend the Ports lead to 7-2. After a Stevenson groundout scored Bautista from third base, Masterman hit a solo homer to left field to give the Ports a 9-2 lead.

The Storm, however, scored five unanswered from the fifth through seventh innings. Back-to-back home runs by Samuel Zavala and Marcos Castañon in the fifth inning tallied three, Zavala drove in another with a double in the sixth and Griffin Doersching clubbed a solo shot in the seventh to trim the Stockton lead to 9-7.

With another three-run frame in the bottom of the seventh, the Ports gave themselves a much-needed cushion. Storm reliever Ryan Och issued three straight one-out walks to load the bases for Tommy Stevenson who hit a ground-rule double down the right field line off new pitcher Ben Miller increasing the Ports lead to 11-7. Masterman followed with a sacrifice fly to add another run and Alexander Campos added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make it 13-7.

Hunter Breault allowed just one run over the final two innings to end the ballgame.

Stockton reliever Luke Anderson (7-7) got the win allowing two runs on two hits over 2.1 innings while striking out four. Storm starter Jared Kollar (0-1) took the loss surrendering six runs on eight hits over 2.1 innings.

With an 8-6 record over their last 14 games, the Ports hit the road for a six-game series against the Grizzlies in Fresno starting on Tuesday with first pitch at 6:50 pm.