Thornton blasts two home runs in 9-8 loss at Merced
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 3 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 9 | 8 | 4 |
MERCED — Zayne Thornton hit two home runs Saturday, but Porterville College still dropped a tough 9-8 Central Valley Conference game at Merced College.
Thornton, a right fielder for the Pirates, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs on the afternoon. His first homer came in the fifth inning with Chris Blanco aboard, a two-run shot that pushed Porterville's lead to 5-3 and capped a four-run frame. His second, a solo blast leading off the ninth, pulled the Pirates within one with a chance to rally — but Porterville could not complete the comeback.
Thornton's outburst were part of a 17-hit Pirates attack that could not overcome a five-run Merced eighth inning. Louie Torres had given the Pirates a strong start, striking out 10 over six innings before turning it over to the bullpen.
The loss secured a three-game conference sweep for Merced. The Pirates dropped to 8-17 overall and 1-8 in the CVC. Porterville returns to action on Tuesday (Mar. 24) when the Pirates open a three-game Central Valley Conference series at home against College of the Sequoias.