STOCKTON, Calif. – The Ports tied the six-game series with Ontario at 2-2 after shutting out one of the top offenses in the league 6-0 on Friday night at Banner Island Ballpark. Stockton remains tied with Fresno for the Cal League North second half playoff spot.
The Ports (31-27, 58-66) took advantage of three errors by the Tower Buzzers (34-24, 67-57) putting constant pressure on the Ontario defense while starter Donny Troconis delivered his best performance as a pro. The 20-year-old right hander worked into the seventh inning for the first time in his career, giving the Ports 6.1 shutout frames on five hits with just two walks to six strikeouts.
Stockton capitalized on an Ontario error right away, as Michael Brooks reached on a throwing error at third before Drew Burress singled through the left side to put two aboard in the first. With one out, Roman Martin doubled (7) into right center to give the Ports a 2-0 lead. Stockton tacked on another run in the second inning when Martin put a ball in play to second and the throw was dropped by the first baseman to allow Brooks to score and make it 3-0.
An error at short in the fifth inning for Ontario plated Bryan Andrade after Ramon Landaeta put another ball in play for a 4-0 Stockton advantage. Bases-loaded walks for Andrade and Edgar Montero in the sixth inning extended the Ports lead to 6-0.
Mason Patel was good in relief of Troconis for 1.2 innings before loading the bases with no one out in the ninth. Kade Brown came in and struck out the first batter he faced, and then got a 3-6-3 double play to end the game, with Brown himself making the stretch at first to complete the twin killing.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Ports shut out an opponent for the third time this season. Drew Burress stole four bases in a game for the first time in his career.
UP NEXT: Game five is scheduled for a 7:05 PM first pitch with RHP Luis Gamez (2-0, 4.32) starting for Ontario versus LHP Jackson Phipps (4-4, 7.01) for Stockton. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Nick Kurtz bobblehead courtesy of Delgado Dental.
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.