Modesto does just enough to upend High Desert

By Brian VanderBeek
bvanderbeek@modbee.com

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The current four-game series at John Thurman Field has been so surprisingly low-scoring, it's almost as if the home fans are watching AC Modesto battle Reál High Desert.

The Nuts have played low-scoring games all season, so the shock this weekend has been that the visiting Mavericks, through three games, have scored all of three runs on 12 hits, collecting only one run and three hits in Sunday's 3-1 Modesto victory.

"Welcome to Modesto, where those long fly balls get caught," said Modesto outfielder Charlie Blackmon, whose two-run triple in the eighth inning capped the Nuts' three-run rally.

"But more than that, our pitching has been awesome against the best-hitting team in the league. What's this now, 12 hits in three games? That's just awesome pitching."

Cory Riordan (5-5) kept the league's top attack silent, stifling the Mavs on three hits and a walk over eight innings. Craig Baker worked a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in as many chances.

"We knew they were a good hitting team, although we hadn't played them before," Riordan said. "We went over the scouting reports pretty well and have tried to go right at them."

The same can be said for the Mavericks' staff, which has done its part to keep Modesto's bats quiet. The Nuts, in winning two of the first three games, have scored five runs on 19 hits -- not exactly a post-Independence holiday kind of explosion.

Donnie Hume (9-5) was the hard-luck loser. The San Diego State product and Vacaville native allowed only two baserunners through seven innings -- not through power pitching, but by keeping the Nuts off-balance through mixing speeds.

"Their pitching has been outstanding for two games in a row, and our guy tonight was phenomenal," said Nuts manager Jerry Weinstein.

But the Nuts finally broke through in the eighth. Trailing 1-0, Modesto's game-winning rally started when Maikol Gonzalez shot a single through the right side and Wilin Rosario smashed a double off the left field wall that missed being a home run by about three feet.

The Mavs intentionally walked pinch hitter Radames Nazario to load the bases, bringing Michael Mitchell to the plate for the game's pivotal moment.

On an 0-2 pitch, Mitchell hit a foul pop fly behind first base that was a routine play for first baseman Ian Bladergroen. But while backpedaling, he appeared to slip, and the ball fell harmlessly as Bladergroen tumbled in the dust.

Mitchell worked the count full before hitting a slow roller to shortstop Jeffrey Dominguez, whose only play was to first base as Gonzalez scored the tying run.

"I guess you could call that missed pop-up a defensive miscue, but we still had to take advantage of it," Blackmon said. "Michael did a great job with two strikes of getting that first run in, and we were able to finish it up."

Blackmon did the finishing, scorching a line drive off the base of the wall in center and coasting into third base.

"After seeing that pitcher all night, I finally put it together the fourth time around," Blackmon said. "It's just good to know he didn't get me out four times in a row, and if I was to get only one hit against him, I guess that was the right time."

High Desert, which advanced only one runner as far as third base, scored its run in the fifth. Leury Bonilla lined a two-out single to left on an 0-2 pitch, then surprised Modesto with a delayed steal of second base. He scored when Bladergroen singled to left.

In this series, one run scoring on a two-out rally counts as a huge inning. And the single run did stand tall until Modesto broke a 22-inning scoring drought with its three-run eighth.

"We'd been putting together some good at-bats all game," Blackmon said. "Finally we strung together some of those at-bats and got some runs in."

Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300.