SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The Cheladas held on for a 6-5 victory on Wednesday night against Inland Empire, giving them a 2-0 lead in the six-game series and placing them just two games out of first place in the Cal League North second-half standings.
EARLY RETURNS
Stockton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a sac fly from Bryan Andrade and an RBI groundout off the bat of Nate Nankil. They got another run in the third on a base hit into left by Breyson Guedez and the Cheladas were out in front 3-0 after two innings.
Knuckleballer Devin Kirby was scheduled to start the game for Stockton, but he was called up to High-A Lansing in the morning, thrusting lefty Jackson Nove into a spot start.
Nove had filled that role before for the Ports, subbing in for two starts after the season-ending knee injury to Sam Stuhr. The lefty delivered four innings of one-run ball in relief after Stuhr had to exit his outing on May 28, and then pitched decently while taking the loss in his first start on June 3 in Ontario, allowing just two runs in four innings. He struggled in his second start, however, allowing seven runs in 2.1 innings against San Jose on June 10.
But the undrafted free agent out of Kentucky – who came over in the Junior Perez trade with the White Sox – delivered exactly what the Cheladas needed on Wednesday night, firing three innings of one-run ball. A double for George Feliz and an RBI single for Dervy Ventura were the only hits Nove allowed, and Stockton was ahead 3-1 when he exited.
BULLISH BULLPEN
Alejandro Manzano, Bjay Cooke, and Wilfred Alvarado kept the 66ers off the board for the next five innings. Stockton made it 4-1 in the fifth when Bobby Blanford hit an RBI single up the middle just out of the reach of the second baseman Ventura, hitting it where they weren’t to plate Guedez. An RBI double for Edgar Montero scored Nate Nankil in the eighth inning to go up 5-1.
The Cheladas would take advantage of defensive miscues by Inland Empire in the ninth for what would prove to be the game-winning run. Shotaro Morii put pressure on the defense in the ninth, forcing an error at first while hustling down the line. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, where a throwing error by the catcher allowed him to come in and score to make it a 6-1 lead.
SHAKY FINISH
The normally reliable Kade Brown came in to close out the game in the ninth, but struggled with command in his outing. After giving up a pair of singles and a sac fly to start the inning to make it 6-2, he got a ground ball to short for the second out of the frame. From there he walked three batters with a two-RBI single by Cesar Quintas in between to cut it to a 6-4 lead.
Itsuki Takemoto returned to the Ports just earlier today from the Arizona Complex League as the corresponding move to Kirby’s promotion. He hit the first batter he faced on a 2-1 count to make it a 6-5 game. He then got a fly ball to center from the 10th batter of the inning to come to the plate for the 66ers to close out the win and get his first save as a pro.
LASKO STRONG
Stockton honored former Ports outfielder Ryan Lasko with t-shirts that read “22 Strong” in green and gold, with Lasko and his number 22 jersey number on the back before and after tonight’s game. They shared their well wishes for the defensive ace who was injured in a collision with fellow former Port, Devin Taylor, while playing for Double-A Midland earlier this month.
Lasko played with the Ports in 2024, and the former second-round pick was recently transferred to a rehab facility near his home in New Jersey, as he recovers from the neck injury suffered in the collision.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Breyson Guedez registered his seventh four-hit game of the season, and his 104 hits are second in the Cal League. Manzano picked up the win to move to 4-1 on the season, and has allowed just one run combined in his four wins. Blandford is now third in the league in RBIs and fourth in home runs.
UP NEXT: Game three is scheduled for a 6:35 PM first pitch with LHP Jack Bowery (2-4, 4.62) starting for Inland Empire versus RHP Shotaro Morii (0-3, 16.76) who will function as an opener for Stockton.
Single game tickets, mini plans, and group outings are all on sale for the 2026 season. For more information, call the Ports front office at 209-644-1400 or email at info@stocktonports.com.