Ventura picks up 1st win as Shuckers top Jacksonville

The Biloxi Shuckers collected a season-high 15 hits and continued their winning ways Monday night in a 6-4 road victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The Shuckers are just one game out of first place and winners of eight of their last eleven contests.

Starter Angel Ventura (1-3) lowered his season earned run average to 2.33 by tossing six innings, allowing just an unearned run and striking out five. After falling victim to a lack of run support in previous starts, Ventura finally notched his first win of the season.

The Shuckers opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning when Mauricio Dubon singled and stole his league-leading 16th base of the season. Dustin DeMuth followed with an RBI single to extend his team-high hitting streak to nine games. DeMuth has also reached base safely in 16-straight games.

After the Jumbo Shrimp tied it up in the bottom of the inning on an unearned run, the Shuckers answered back with two of their own against starter Severino Gonzalez (0-2). Angel Ortega opened with his first triple of the year, Dustin Houle followed with an RBI single, and Johnny Davis hit a single that center fielder Yefri Perez bobbled to bring in another run.

Jumbo Shrimp reliever Tyler Kinley was greeted rudely in the seventh by Clint Coulter, who hit a pinch-hit home run in Ventura's spot to extend the lead. Johnny Davis singled, Dubon drove him in with a double and scored on a wild pitch, and the Shuckers took a 6-1 lead to the bottom of the seventh.

Josh Uhen relieved Ventura and allowed three runs on three hits before Nick Ramirez came in to put out the fire. In the eighth, Houle drove in another insurance run to stretch the lead to 7-4.

Ramirez escaped more trouble to record a scoreless eighth, and though Matt Ramsey allowed a run in the ninth against his former team, he struck out the tying run to seal the victory.

In total, six Shuckers recorded a multi-hit game while Dubon led the way by finishing 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Ventura picks up 1st win as Shuckers top Jacksonville."