by Ethan Kassel / A’s Farm Stockton Correspondent
Solid defense and another strong pitching performance lifted the Stockton Ports to their fifth consecutive win on Tuesday night as they defeated the visiting Lancaster JetHawks 3-2.
First baseman Edwin Diaz’s sixth-inning home run stood up as the decisive blast as the bullpen took care of business down the stretch. LHP Andrew Tomasovich, who allowed a run despite generating a lot of soft contact in the top of the sixth, also pitched the seventh inning and was credited with the win. RHP Sam Sheehan, who struggled through much of the month of April, struck out the side in order in the top of the eighth, and RHP Boomer Biegalski escaped a jam in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.
With two outs and men on first and second in the ninth inning, Lancaster center fielder Manuel Melendez hit a grounder up the middle, but Stockton shortstop Kevin Merrell showed off his range and made a difficult throw on the run to end the game. The middle infield tandem of Merrell and second baseman Nate Mondou came up huge for Stockton as the defense posted its second straight errorless game.
Mondou made an impressive play on designated hitter Colton Welker‘s grounder in the first inning and started a double play to get starter Brian Howard out of the fifth inning unscathed after the first two men had reached base. Howard allowed one run in his five innings of work, striking out four and walking just one.
The Ports converted 13 hits into just three runs, but it was enough to hold up. In addition to his decisive homer, Diaz also doubled in the game. Right fielder Luis Barrera had three hits, including a double in the fourth. He scored later in the inning on a double by third baseman Melvin Mercedes.
JetHawks starter Rico Garcia was greeted with singles by Merrell, Mondou and catcher Jonah Heim in the first inning to put the Ports on top by a run. Lancaster got a second-inning home run from first baseman Roberto Ramos to tie the game. After Stockton put a run on the board in the fourth inning, the JetHawks tied the game again in the sixth on an RBI single by Livermore native Vince Fernandez, but Tomasovich avoided further damage with a heads-up play on a comebacker by right fielder Willie Abreu, starting a rundown in which Mercedes ultimately tagged out third baseman Tyler Nevin.
After Sheehan took care of the heart of the Lancaster order in the top of the eighth, the Ports squandered a chance to add to their lead when, with the bases loaded and no outs, Diaz hit into a 5-2-3 double play. Mercedes walked to reload the bases, but designated hitter Eric Marinez struck out for the third time on the night to end the inning.
Biegalski allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Abreu and walked second baseman Carlos Herrera with two outs, but Merrell’s play on Melendez ended the game, and Biegalski picked up the save for the Ports.
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