Diamondbacks beat Giants 3-2 for series sweep, 10th win in 11 games

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mike Soroka limited San Francisco to two runs on four hits in six innings, Geraldo Perdomo broke a seventh-inning tie with a sacrifice fly and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Giants 3-2 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.

Arizona has won five straight and 10 of 11. The Diamondbacks were 11-2 in a 13-game stretch against Colorado and San Francisco to improve to 31-24.

The Diamondbacks also swept a three-game series against the Giants last week in Phoenix. San Francisco has lost the first six games of a season series for the first time since dropping the first seven games to San Diego in 2010.

Soroka (7-2) gave up a two-run single to Luis Arraez with one out in the third inning. Soroka then retired the final 11 batters he faced. Paul Sewald finished for his 100th career save. He worked a three-up, three-down ninth for his 14th save this season.

The Diamondbacks trailed 2-0 in the sixth before scoring twice off Trevor McDonald (2-2) to tie it. Adrian Del Castillo drove in a run with a single, and Ildemaro Vargas’ sacrifice fly made it 2-2.

McDonald departed after allowing one-out singles to Tommy Troy and Ketel Marte in the seventh. Marte went 2 for 5 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Reliever Matt Gage then committed an error on Corbin Carroll’s roller between the mound and first, loading the bases. and Perdomo followed with the sacrifice fly to left, giving Arizona a 3-2 edge.

With Willy Adames on second and one out in the eighth, Arraez hit his third single of the game, a soft liner to left-center. The relay from left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt to third baseman Jose Fernandez to catcher Aramis Garcia cut down Adames.

Arizona RHP Zac Gallen (3-4, 4.80 ERA) was set to face RHP George Kirby (5-4, 3.54) in Seattle on Friday night. San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (2-4, 5.06) was scheduled to come off the injured list to start at Colorado on Friday night.

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San Francisco Giants infield coach Ron Washington, top left, and manager Tony Vitello, top right, watch as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Aramis Garcia, bottom, cannot catch a ball in foul territory hit by Will Brennan during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Michael Soroka throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kevin Ginkel, middle, reacts after picking off San Francisco Giants' Luis Arraez, bottom rear, for the final out of the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Sewald (38) and Geraldo Perdomo celebrate after a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Aramis Garcia, middle right, reacts after tagging out San Francisco Giants' Willy Adames (2) at home during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A South Carolina jury heard opening statements Wednesday in the trial of a store owner charged with murder in the 2023 fatal shooting of a Black 14-year-old, which a prosecutor called unprovoked and a defense lawyer insisted was an act of defense.

Chikei Rick Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back during a foot chase in Columbia, believing — wrongly, prosecutors say — that he had stolen four bottles of water from the gas station convenience store. The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black.

While prosecutors acknowledge Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol, they say it fell on the ground during the chase and he never threatened anyone with it. But defense lawyers said the teen pointed the pistol at Chow's son, Andy, and Chow fired one shot in his son's defense. Chow had a concealed weapons permit.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what is the value of a human life?” prosecutor Byron E. Gipson asked. “To grieving parents who lost a 14-year-old to senseless acts of violence, a human life is priceless.”

Gipson added: "But on May 28, 2023, Chikei Rick Chow, the defendant in this case, determined that Cyrus Carmack-Belton's life was worth less than four bottles of water.”

Gipson then tried to cast doubt on Chow's claim of defending his son.

“In what world do you get to falsely accuse a 14-year-old of stealing, chase a 14-year-old 130-plus yards down a road while you’re armed with a pistol, shoot that person in the back, then claim you’re defending your son?” he said, calling the shooting “senseless” and “heinous.”

Defense lawyer Jack Swerling began his opening statements questioning why the teen was carrying a pistol equipped with a laser sight around the streets of Columbia.

“If he didn’t have that weapon, he never would have had a weapon to draw on Andy Chow," Swerling said. "He never would have had a weapon to put Andy Chow in danger. And he never would have had a weapon that would cause Mr. Chow to believe his son was going to be shot and have to make a split-second decision — a split-second decision — as to whether or not to go ahead and fire that gun and protect his son.”

Afterward, Chow performed CPR on Carmack-Belton, which Swerling said helps prove Chow acted without malice — a required element of a murder charge in South Carolina.

“Nobody’s saying everybody’s happy about this, but unfortunately there are occasions in human life when someone has to exercise that right of self-defense or defense of others," Swerling said. “It’s sad. It's tragic. There’s no question about that."

Chow sat between his lawyers at the defense table, wearing a dark suit, white-collared shirt and no tie with his legs shackled, occasionally writing on a notepad.

Operating a business was a dream for Chikei Rick Chow, Swerling said. Chow was born in Hong Kong and his wife was born in Malaysia. Both became U.S. citizens and had two sons, he said.

Protesters came to Chow’s store the day after the shooting demanding justice and saying Chow mistreated Black customers. Police records showed he shot at shoplifters twice in the past eight years but did not face charges after investigators said he acted in self-defense. After the protests, Chow’s store was vandalized and broken into and cigarettes and beer were stolen, police said.

After opening statements, a police officer who responded to the shooting was the first witness to take the stand in the trial that is expected to last several days.

Witness Lori Carson testified that she saw Carmack-Belton running away from the store with Chow and his son in pursuit. She said she never saw a gun or anything else in the teen's hands.

“He just looked frightened, scared. He looked like he needed help," Carson said of the teen. "Just like a young child just in trouble, just needed help.”

She said that after they ran down the street, she saw Chow in a shooting position while the teen was on the ground. She became emotional as she described trying to help Carmack-Belton by removing leaves from his mouth while Chow performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Authorities said the shooting happened about 130 yards (120 meters) from the store. A gun was found near Carmack-Belton's body, but investigators have said there is no evidence the teen ever directed the firearm at Chow or his son.

Carmack-Belton had entered the store about 8 p.m. and quickly drew suspicion from the Chows, prosecutors said. He took four water bottles out of a cooler but put them back, they said. He got into an argument with the Chows and denied their allegations of stealing, then left the store, authorities said.

FILE - A sign calling for justice is for Cyrus Carmack-Belton is seen outside a gas station June 1, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)