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By Matthew Martz

The Bakersfield Blaze finished their last road trip of the 2009 season with two wins against the Stockton Ports earlier this week at Banner Island Ballpark. The Blaze (71-65) has won 20 of their last 24 games and has secured their first playoff appearance in eight years.
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Game one of the series against the Ports on Monday proved to be Tim Murphy’s best start on the mound for Bakersfield this season as he surrendered just one run in the first inning and then settled in pitching four more as the Blaze came away with a 3-1 win.

Murphy walked four, hit one batter and threw two wild pitches, striking out four of the 23 batters he faced.

Stockton took a 1-0 lead on their first three at-bats and then was held to just two more hits for the remaining eight innings.

Ian Gac’s solo home run in the third tied the game at 1-1 and a solo blast from Mauro Gomez in the seventh gave the Blaze a 2-1 advantage. An RBI double from Gac in the top of the ninth padded Bakersfield’s lead 3-1.

Glenn Swanson (W, 1-1) notched his first win of the season pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh and Evan Reed earned his 23rd save, inducing a bases loaded two out, pop up to end the ballgame.

The teams were locked in a scoreless tie until the Blaze broke through in the fifth, wining game two and shutting out the Ports 2-0 on Wednesday.

Blaze starter Kennil Gomez (W, 8-10) shut down the Ports on four hits, a walk and four strikeouts in five innings while Stockton starter Hector Garcia (L, 0-1) suffered the loss in his first appearance for the Ports.

For the second night in a row Ian Gac opened the scoring in the top of the fifth, with a two-out solo home run, his 20th, giving the Blaze a 1-0 lead. Bakersfield added to their lead in the sixth, scoring one run on a Joey Butler sacrifice fly.

Reliever Michael Main issued a walk and a strikeout in two scoreless innings, in his first appearance in a Blaze uniform since early June. Evan Reed earned his 24th save of the season retiring three of the four batters he faced.

After trailing 3-0, the Stockton Ports (59-77) scored six runs in the fifth to beat the Blaze 7-5 in game three on Thursday, avoiding the series sweep.

The Blaze jumped on the board with an early 1-0 lead in the first when SS Davis Stoneburner scored on an Ian Gac double to left.

Bakersfield added to their lead in the fourth when Tommy Mendonca singled in Mauro Gomez, who led of the inning with a double, and later came across scoring on a fielder’s choice, increasing the Blaze lead 3-0.

Blaze starter Richard Bleier (L, 7-11) allowed no runs on just two hits through the first four innings but imploded in the home half of the fifth surrendering six runs on three hits and a walk, assisted by a pair of throwing errors and fielding errors by the Blaze defense.

Bakersfield climbed back into the contest in the seventh, narrowing the deficit 6-5 with RBI singles from Matthew Lawson and Mauro Gomez.

The Ports capped the scoring in the eighth scoring a lone run on a Grant Green RBI single to left.

Stockton starting pitcher Pedro Figueroa (W, 3-4) struck out nine in 6.1IP, on his way to a win.

The Blaze concludes the 2009 regular season with a four game home stand against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes starting on Friday at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

What’s Burning: DH Mauro Gomez leads the team with 25 home runs, third best in the Cal League.