Portland pitcher frustrates Stingers

Portland's Justin Germano frustrated the Stingers' hitters for eight innings Sunday afternoon and the Beavers tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth inning to secure a 6-4 victory at Franklin Covey Field.

Salt Lake mounted a rally in the bottom of the ninth, also scoring two runs, but Zack Sorensen struck out with runners at second and third to end the game, sending Salt Lake to its 10th loss in 11 games.

"We just didn't swing the bats good enough to win today," Stingers manager Mike Brumley said afterward. "Their starter always pitches well against us. He stayed aggressive, stayed ahead of the count and forced us to swing early because he was throwing so many strikes."

Salt Lake starter Steve Green pitched well, after getting rocked for three runs on three hits in the second inning. He went six innings, gave up six hits, struck out six and walked only two batters, throwing 105 pitches on the game. Salt Lake couldn't rattle Germano.

The Stingers got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when Adam Riggs walked on four straight pitches, advanced to second on a stolen base then came home on Dallas McPherson's double for his 300th career RBI.

Portland came right back in the second. Yamid Hadd beat out an infield hit and advanced to third on Jake Gautreau's double. Gautreau injured himself rounding first base and was replaced by Jose Nieves who scored along with Haad on Alex Fernandez's triple. Fernandez came home on J.J.Furmaniak's check-swing shot to the pitcher, whose only play was to first base and Portland led 3-1.

The Beavers added another run in the third on Ramon's Vazquez lead-off home run. The Stingers answered with a home run by Brian Gordon in the bottom of the fifth. The 4-2 score held up until the ninth.

"They got some big hits when they needed to get them," Brumley said, summing up the afternoon.

In the top of the inning, Bernie Castro beat out a bunt, advanced to third on Fernandez's hard shot to right. Bobby Scales walked to load the bases, Fermaniak smacked a ball to McPherson at third base who threw out Castro out at the plate. The next batter Freddy Guzman singled in Fernandez and Scales and the Beavers took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of ninth.

Mike Bynum replaced Germano on the mound and the Portland reliever immediately gave up three consecutive hits and the Stingers trailed 6-3. When Wil Nieves walked to load the bases with no one out, the Stingers looked like they might tie the game or even win it. But Bynum struck out Gordon and Marty McLeary gave up a groudnout RBI to Casey Smith, then struck out Sorensen to end the Salt Lake rally.

NOTES: Attendance at Sunday's game was 4,358 . . . Salt Lake and Portland close out their four-game series tonight at 7, then the Stingers head to Tennessee for games at Nashville and Memphis before returning to Franklin Covey . . . The Stingers play 17 of 29 games in August at home . . . Portland's Jose Nieves was ejected in the sixth inning after saying something to home plate umpire Steve Cox after a called third strike.

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E-mail: jringwood@desnews.com