The San Jose Giants clinched a playoff spot on Friday night with Carson Ragsdale throwing five shutout innings and adding six more strikeouts to his Low-A West leading total, now 162. The Giants beat the Stockton Ports 6-0 and locked up a post-season matchup with the Fresno Grizzlies.
Ragsdale (W, 8-6) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out six in his five innings. Juan Sanchez and Clay Helvey each threw two scoreless innings in relief, combining to allow just one Stockton hit and no walks with five strikeouts.
Jimmy Glowenke had three hits for San Jose and Abdiel Layer was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Stockton’s Junior Perez had two of his club’s four hits.
Ragsdale leads the league in strikeouts (162), IP (108 2/3) and is tied for the league lead in wins (8). He’s fourth in the league in opponents’ batting average (.244). The Giants have the top four strikeout pitchers in the league and five of the top six.
San Jose had 12 hits, with all but one batter hitting safely.
The teams are set for the best-of-five championship series which starts on Tuesday, September 21st. The Fresno Grizzlies already clinched the other spot. Details on game times and locations to come.
SCOREBOARD
LAKE ELSINORE – 9
VISALIA – 6
10 Innings
Box
The Rawhide forced extras with two runs in the bottom of the ninth but Lake Elsinore put four runs across in the 10th. Gilberto Vizcarra was 3-for-5 with a HR (4) for the Storm and Cole Cummings had three hits. Visalia’s Deyvison De Los Santos was 3-for-5 with a double and starter Avery Short struck out 10 in five innings.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 5
INLAND EMPIRE – 6
The 66ers walked it of with a wild pitch. Edwin Yon had three hits, including the ninth-inning triple that allowed him to score the game-winner on a pitch that got away. SS Arol Vera had a four-hit night and has hit in seven straight and 10 of 11 games he’s played with Inland Empire. Nathan Burns pitched two innings out of the 66ers bullpen and gave up one hit and no walks while striking out five. Rancho Cucamonga’s Luis Yanel Diaz hit his fourth homer of the season.
FRESNO
MODESTO
Cancelled
