Patterson continues tear, leads Modesto Nuts over Inland Empire

Jordan Patterson’s two-run homer in the fifth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled the Modesto Nuts to a 4-3 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers on Tuesday night at John Thurman Field.

Patterson came to the plate in the ninth inning needing a double for the cycle but lifted a lazy fly ball to left on the first pitch. It was the first time the 66ers retired him in the contest.

Come to think of it, it was the first time anybody retired Patterson in his last seven plate appearances. The right fielder singled and homered in his final two plate appearances in Monday’s series finale at High Desert, then singled, tripled (his California League-best 12th) and homered (his team-high 10th) in his first three trips Tuesday.

“I’m just executing,” said Patterson, a native of Mobile, Ala., who is 10 for 22 (.455) in his last five games, with four multi-hit games during that stretch. “I’m not doing anything different, just being on time, getting good pitches to hit.”

His first chance at the cycle went by the wayside when he was plunked by starter Harrison Cooney in the sixth, and he flied out to end the eighth.

“I was aware of it, but I wasn’t thinking about it during my last at-bat,” Patterson said.

Antonio Senzatela (5-4) earned the victory for the Nuts. The 20-year-old right-hander went 52/3 innings, giving up five hits and fanning two. He allowed one unearned run in the third inning when Caleb Adams scored from third on an errant pickoff attempt by catcher Ashley Graeter.

“My fastball was good,” said Senzatela, making his second start since coming back from a strained knee ligament that forced him to miss a couple of turns in the rotation. “My breaking pitches weren’t too good.”

The Nuts and 66ers will continue their four-game set Wednesday night at 7:05 on a One Buck Wednesday, when hot dogs, soft drinks, snacks and bounce house and slide wristbands are just $1.

The Nuts’ Alex Balog (0-2, 3.18) takes the hill against Inland Empire’s Jordan Kipper (3-5, 4.13).

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 7:56 AM with the headline "Patterson continues tear, leads Modesto Nuts over Inland Empire."