Modesto Nuts win second straight over Bakersfield Blaze

Rosell Herrera’s RBI double in the seventh inning made a winner of pitcher Harrison Musgrave, and Correlle Prime’s team-high seventh home run provided a valuable insurance run as the Modesto Nuts defeated the Bakersfield Blaze 4-3 Friday night at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Musgrave, a 23-year-old left-hander from Bridgeport, W.Va., gave up six hits and a walk while striking out five in six innings of work. He improved to 7-1 on the season and his win total is tied for the league lead.

Though both runs off Musgrave were earned, one came in when center fielder Herrera lost a ball in the lights with two outs in the second inning. The other came in on a bad-hop single off shortstop Zach Osborne, when a true hop might’ve resulted in an inning-ending double play.

With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh – Modesto scored a run in the fourth when designated hitter Ashley Graeter plated Ryan McMahon with a groundout and one in the sixth when catcher Troy Stein singled home Prime – Raimel Tapia drew a one-out walk off new reliever Carlos Misell. After Jordan Patterson flew out to right, Herrera lined a double to right that scored Tapia. Herrera was out at third trying to stretch the double into a triple.

In the top of the eighth, the Nuts increased the lead to 4-2 on Prime’s solo blast to left. That run proved valuable when the Blaze scored an unearned run off Sam Moll in its half of the eighth.

Closer Trent Daniel earned his third save of the season, working around a one-out single in the ninth.

The teams meet in the third game of this four-game set Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Modesto’s Antonio Senzatela (4-3, 2.22) squares off against Bakersfield’s Brett Ash (2-4, 3.41).

This story was originally published June 13, 2015 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Modesto Nuts win second straight over Bakersfield Blaze."