Ports Snap Skid With 8-1 Victory Over Nuts

Box Score

STOCKTON, Ca. – The Ports racked up 13 hits and scored eight unanswered runs while surrendering only an unearned run en route to an 8-1 victory over the Modesto Nuts on Saturday night at Banner Island Ballpark. The win for the Ports snapped a nine-game losing streak.

Trailing 1-0 after the top of the first, the Ports (34-67) tied the game with a single run in the bottom of the second inning. T.J. Schofield-Sam began the inning with a double down the right field line and advanced to third on a fly ball to right field by Nick Brueser. Junior Perez then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Schofield-Sam from third to even the game at 1-1.

The Ports then took the lead with a three-run bottom of the third inning. Jhoan Paulino led off with a single to left field and after stealing second, advanced to third base on a single to left field to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Kevin Richards followed with a single to left center to score Paulino and advance Alvarez to third base, giving the Ports a 2-1 lead. After a safety squeeze by Danny Bautista scored Alvarez, Schofield-Sam Singled through the left side to score Richards from second base, giving the Ports a 4-1 lead.

Stockton extended its lead with a two-run fifth. A double and a single to start the inning by Alvarez and Richards put runners on the corners with nobody out for Bautista who lined a double down the left field line to score Alvarez from third, making it 5-1. With one out, Brueser then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Richards from third base, extending the Stockton advantage to 6-1.

Back-to-back doubles by Paulino and Alvarez generated another tally in the sixth, and a Richards leadoff triple in the eighth followed by a Schofield-Sam sacrifice fly extended the Ports’ advantage to 8-1.

The eight runs were plenty of support for three Ports’ pitchers. Stockton starter Gunnar Hoglund allowed just one unearned run on three hits over three innings in his Ports’ debut, and Dheygler Gimenez was dominant over 4.2 innings of relief with a career-high ten strikeouts. Hunter Breault retired the last four hitters in order with two strikeouts to end the ballgame.

Gimenez (1-3) got the win for Stockton, while Nuts’ starter Adrian Quintana (0-2) took the loss allowing six runs on nine hits over four innings.

The Ports will look to make it two in a row in the series finale against the Nuts on Sunday evening at Banner Island Ballpark with first pitch at 6:05 pm. Tickets are available at stocktonports.com or by calling (209) 644-1900.