Errors cost Modesto Nuts in walk-off loss at Bakersfield

Raimel Tapia’s hitting and Antonio Senzatela’s quality start gave the Modesto Nuts a chance to win Saturday night, but defense cost the Nuts.

Modesto’s third and final error allowed host Bakersfield to score in the bottom of the ninth inning and walk off for the second night in a row, this time with a 5-4 victory.

Daniel Torres’ leadoff walk, drawn from Nuts reliever Matt Carasiti, opened the door for the Blaze in the ninth in front of an announced crowd of 1,172 at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Nelson Ward sacrificed pinch runner Aaron Barbosa to second, Tim Lopes singled Barbosa to third, and Carasiti walked Tyler O’Neill intentionally to load the bases.

A throwing error on Nuts first baseman Correlle Prime on a ball hit by Austin Wilson allowed Barbosa to score and sent Modesto to its third consecutive loss in the series. The fourth and final game is Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

The loss dropped the Nuts into a first-place tie with San Jose and Visalia in the California League’s North Division second-half standings.

The Nuts jumped on top on Tapia’s three-run homer in the top of the third, his 10th bomb of the season following Wilson Soriano’s leadoff single and Emerson Jimenez’s double.

Tapia’s 28th double of the season drove in Jimenez, who drew a two-out walk, to give the Nuts a 4-2 lead in the seventh, answering Bakersfield’s two-run sixth that chased Senzatela.

Not that it was much of Senzatela’s doing. The Blaze scored without hitting the ball out of the infield, and the Nuts committed two errors in the inning.

Senzatela exited after 51/3 innings having allowed two unearned runs, five hits and two walks while striking out five.

Bakersfield tied the score in the seventh on Lopes’ RBI triple and O’Neill’s sacrifice fly.

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Errors cost Modesto Nuts in walk-off loss at Bakersfield."