Modesto Nuts top Rawhide in ninth

For possibly the first time in his half-century of managing, Jerry Weinstein was going to be speechless following a game.

He had just watched his Modesto Nuts blow a three-run ninth-inning lead on a Visalia rally sparked by a dropped pop-up and a walk, then saw his first two batters in the ninth fail to reach base.

In the latest of this season's series of miracle finishes, Modesto loaded the bases with two outs, and Josh Rutledge capped a four-hit, four-RBI night with a single to center for a 7-6 victory, but the scars from the brutal top of the ninth remained.

"I was thinking about what I was going to say to them tomorrow and decided just to say nothing and tell them to go out and play," Weinstein said.

"Had we lost, we needed to forget about it as quickly as possible. But since we won, it's one to remember as long as possible."

Modesto scored twice in the eighth to take a 5-2 lead, and with closer Mike Marbry coming in, it appeared lefty Edwar Cabrera was a lock to win after his six-inning, 10-strikeout effort.

Marbry gave up a run on a single and a double sandwiched around a fly out, then recorded a strikeout to move one out away from the win.

David Nick seemed to oblige the sellout crowd of 4,131 by hitting a high pop-up in the middle of the diamond, flinging his bat away in disgust. Marbry called for the ball despite being called off the play, then dropped it as he was bumped by Rutledge, as a run scored to make it 5-4.

"I was going full speed and didn't know if Mike was going to be under it," Rutledge said. "I called for it late and didn't have time to slow down and bumped into him. Infielders have to take control on those plays."

Weinstein backed that notion with full force.

"Our shortstop has to be really aggressive and take charge there," Weinstein said. "There's no way we want a pitcher to make a catch back-pedaling off the back of the mound, even if he used to be a shortstop (as Marbry was.)"

Matt Davidson followed with a double to left to put the tying run at third base, and that run strolled home when Marbry stumbled on his second pitch to Bobby Borchering, holding onto the ball for a balk.

Borchering followed with a solid single to center to plate Davidson with what appeared to be the game-winning run, especially after the first two Modesto batters in the ninth were retired by Rawhide closer Taylor Sinclair.

But Carlos Martinez worked a walk on a 3-1 count, Delta Cleary slapped a single to right on a 3-2 pitch and Scott Robinson walked to load the bases on a 3-2 pitch.

Rutledge, who raised his average to .344 after an inside-the-park homer in the first, a sacrifice fly in the third, a single in the sixth and a double in the eighth, didn't wait for a full count.

"He was staying away to everybody, so I was looking out there for something to hit," said Rutledge, who spanked a 1-0 fastball up the middle for the game-winning, two-out, two-run single.

Visalia's rally took the win away from Modesto starter Edwar Cabrera, who continued his mastery of both low- and high-A baseball.

In 24 starts between Asheville and Modesto he's gone 8-2 and leads all Minor League Baseball with 202 strikeouts against only 39 walks over 156 innings.

His personal victory, which would have made him 5-0 as a Nut, was washed out by the wild ending to this heavyweight battle.