Quakes Win 11th Straight Home Game

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA - Erik Bedard tossed six solid innings in his LoanMart Field debut, helping Rancho Cucamonga to a 3-1 victory over Bakersfield in the series opener on Saturday night and their fourth straight win.

In front of 3,609 fans, Bedard (1-1), an 11-year Major League veteran who signed a minor league free agent deal with the Dodgers in January, surrendered one run and four hits while striking out five over six innings, throwing 70 pitches along the way. The 36-year-old left-hander from Canada went 4-6 with a 4.76 ERA last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Quakes (28-20) gave Bedard some run support in the first inning against Bakersfield starter Dan Altavilla (1-5). Travis Witherspoon hit a leadoff single and stole second base. Kyle Farmer drove him in with a single to right field to get the home team on the scoreboard first. Cody Bellinger's double down the right field line plated Farmer, giving Rancho Cucamonga a 2-0 lead.

The Blaze (18-30) scratched out their only run against Bedard in the top of the third. Justin Seager led off the inning with an infield hit and Martin Peguero singled. After Luis Caballero's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Aaron Barbosa delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, chasing Seager home to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Rancho Cucamonga tallied an important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth against Altavilla. Bellinger singled to open the inning and Joey Curletta followed with a base-hit to left field, placing runners at first and second. With Paul Hoenecke at the plate, Altavilla balked to move the runners up to second and third, then balked again to score Bellinger and give the Quakes a 3-1 advantage.

From there, the Quakes' bullpen took over. Victor Araujo relieved Bedard in the seventh and twirled two scoreless innings while striking out three. Rob Rogers allowed a walk and a single in the ninth inning to put the potential tying run on base, but Tyler Marlette's grounder to second baseman Brandon Trinkwon resulted in a double play to preserve Rogers' second save of the season.

With the win, the Quakes improve to a California League-best 19-5 record at LoanMart Field and have won 11 consecutive home games, dating back to a 12-inning triumph over Visalia on May 7th. Rancho Cucamonga has now won six of their first seven meetings against Bakersfield this year, including all three contests at LoanMart Field.

The first-place Quakes will look to continue their home success on Sunday afternoon against the Blaze in the second game of the rare five-game series. Rancho Cucamonga is expected to send right-hander Jharel Cotton for his first High-A start of the season. Cotton has made one appearance with Low-A Great Lakes this year and spent all of 2014 with the Quakes, posting a 6-10 record and 4.05 ERA. Bakersfield will counter with left-hander Tyler Pike (0-1, 2.96 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 pm. If you can't make it to LoanMart Field, you can follow all the action on FOX Sports 1350 AM, beginning with the pregame show at 1:50.

Prior to Sunday's game, kids can take part in our free U.S. Bank Youth Clinic! Registration begins at 9 am and the clinic gets under way at 10, with children receiving help on their baseball skills from Quakes' players and coaches! Tickets for all remaining home games are available at (909) 481-5000 or at rcquakes.com. We hope to see you very soon at LoanMart Field…Go Quakes!