Hoelscher helps Modesto Nuts slam San Jose Giants
A California League slugfest was decided by one swing of Shane Hoelscher’s bat Saturday night. On Sunday, San Jose did most of the slugging.
Hoelscher’s grand slam in the top of the sixth inning gave the Modesto Nuts the cushion they needed to post their second straight win over the Giants, 12-9 on Saturday night. San Jose gained a split of the four-game series by pounding 18 hits, including five doubles and two home runs, in a 12-4 rout of the Nuts on Sunday.
The blast by Hoelscher, his third homer of the young season, increased Modesto’s lead to 10-3. San Jose, which swatted four home runs – by Aramis Garcia, Jonah Arenado, Jose Vizcaino Jr. and Chris Shaw – answered with four runs in the sixth.
Modesto reliever Luis Niebla restored order and was credited with a three-inning save.
The Nuts rattled San Jose starter D.J. Snelten with two double steals during a three-run first, plus two more runs in the second. A Wes Rogers RBI single and Omar Carrizales’ run-scoring squeeze increased the Modesto lead to 5-0.
Drew Weeks went 2 for 5 and drove in three runs for Modesto. Hoelscher opened his big night with a sacrifice fly in the first.
Nuts starter Yancy Almonte (2-0) gave up 10 hits and six earned runs in five-plus innings.
On Sunday, Modesto trailed 4-0 after one inning and 7-0 after two. The Giants took turns shelling Modesto starter Jesus Tinoco (seven runs and nine hits allowed in two innings), Craig Schlitter (two runs and three hits allowed in three innings with seven strikeouts) and Logan Sawyer (three runs and five hits allowed in one inning) to build a 12-0 lead.
The Nuts scored once in the seventh, twice in the eighth (on Roberto Ramos’ two-run bomb) and once in the ninth.
Modesto has Monday off, then plays a three-game series in Visalia before returning home to start a three-game series against Stockton on Friday night.
This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Hoelscher helps Modesto Nuts slam San Jose Giants."