The Stockton Ports came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 7-4 and rallied for four runs to beat the Modesto Nuts 8-7 on Sunday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Kevin Richards hit two home runs (9, 10), including a game-tying two-run shot in the ninth, as the Ports won for the second night in a row. Nick Brueser walked it off with an RBI single.
Modesto jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead off of Stockton starter Mitch Myers and made it 6-0 with two runs in the third. Gabe Moncada hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his 2nd, and Axel Sanchez did the same in the third inning, launching his fourth of the year.
Stockton started the long road back with a walk, a double to set up a sac fly from T.J. Schofield-Sam in the fourth inning to make it 6-1. Modesto tacked on a run with a GIDP in the sixth to make it 7-1.
Richards hit his first two-run shot of the evening in the sixth to cut the lead to 7-3. The Ports rallied for another run in the seventh to make it 7-4, setting up the ninth-inning comeback.
Myers finished with a line of 4 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, and 4 Ks. Clark Cota pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and no walks with one strikeout. Serafino Brito (W, 1-2) pitched a scoreless ninth inning with all three outs via strikeout.
Freuddy Batista was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs for Modesto. Starter Michael Morales went five innings and allowed one run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
Modesto (22-14) won four 0f the six games in the series and has a three-game lead in the North division. The Nuts will host Visalia in a six-game series starting Tuesday. The Ports (10-26) are 12 games out and will travel to San Jose on Tuesday.
SCOREBOARD
INLAND EMPIRE – 10
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 3
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SAN JOSE – 4
FRESNO – 8
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LAKE ELSINORE – 4
VISALIA – 3
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