Quakes Rally for Win Over Inland Empire

Rancho Cucamonga, CA- The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes rallied from two separate deficits on Saturday at LoanMart Field to down the Inland Empire 66ers 9-6. The Quakes have now taken the first two games of a four-game set.

Inland Empire trailed 3-0 heading into the top of the third inning when they loaded the bases against Rancho Cucamonga (76-62, 35-33) starter AJ Vanegas. Caleb Adams drilled a ball off the wall in right to clear the bags and tie the game at 3-3. Adams was then knocked in when Wade Wass tagged a double to left to give Inland Empire (62-76, 26-42) a 4-3 lead. It was short-lived as Jacob Scavuzzo led off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to tie the game at 4-4.

The 66ers would again build a lead in the fifth when Mike Fish doubled and eventually scored on Andrew Daniel's sac fly. The Sixers made it 6-4 in the sixth when Wass hammered an opposite-field homer to right to make it 6-4. It was the University of Alabama's fourth homer with the 66ers in just 12 games. That lead evaporated in the bottom of the sixth when Alex Verdugo drilled a two-run homer to center against IE starter Jeremy Rhoades to tie the game at 6-6. Rhoades went six innings allowing six runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out eight but surrendered three homers (Tyler Ogle, Scavuzzo and Verdugo).

The Quakes broke the tie in the seventh against Inland Empire reliever Garrett Nuss (0-7). Rancho Cucamonga got a triple from Devan Ahart to open the inning. He was knocked in on Johan Mieses' double to make it 7-6. Scavuzzo then doubled in Mieses for an 8-6 advantage. The Quakes capped their scoring at 9-6 on Willie Calhoun's RBI single.

Dillon Moyer, typically a shortstop for the Quakes earned his first win of the season in a relief appearance. It was Moyer's third game on the mound this season and he has yet to surrender a run. Moyer (1-0) is the son of former MLB veteran southpaw Jamie Moyer and his younger brother Hutton is an infielder in the Angels' system. Kyle Hooper tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth to notch his first save of the year. Ogle had three hits for the Quakes; Wass came a triple short of the cycle for Inland Empire. The 66ers had seven extra-base hits while RC had six.

The series continues Saturday at 5:05 pm. It can be heard live at 66ers.com.