Zimmerman's six hits lead 66ers in wild win

In the Minor Leagues' most offensively conducive environment, Inland Empire's Jordan Zimmerman still found a way to reach rarefied air.
The Angels infielder set a career high with six hits, scoring five runs and driving in three more, as Class A Advanced Inland Empire broke through with five runs in the 10th inning to capture a wild 19-15 win over Lancaster. He finished a triple away from the cycle.

The 66ers scored in seven different innings in the slugfest, and Zimmerman was in the mix for most of them. After No. 2 Angels prospectJahmai Jones extended the Minor Leagues' longest active hitting streak to 25 games with a leadoff homer to right-center field in the first inning, Zimmerman got his first knock on a one-out single to center. The second baseman singled again to center in the third and doubled to left in the fifth, scoring in both frames.
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In the sixth, Zimmerman pummeled his fourth homer of the year, a one-out solo shot to left-center. After he was retired for the only time on the night on a line drive to center in the seventh, the Michigan State product drove an RBI double to left in the ninth. He crossed the plate on a subsequent single by Jared Walsh to level the game at 14-14 and send it to extras.
Inland Empire's offense ensured the volatile game wouldn't last much longer than the five-run 10th. The 66ers sent 11 batters to the plate, and Zimmerman notched his sixth and final hit on a single to center that drove in the second run of the inning. He scored Inland Empire's final run two batters later on an RBI single to left by Keith Grieshaber.

Prior to Thursday night, Zimmerman's best single-game performance was a 5-for-5 night he posted last July 4 for Rookie-level Orem at Grand Junction, just weeks after the Angels took him in the seventh round of the Draft.
While Zimmerman's line was the most potent, the 66ers tallied 17 more hits. Catcher Michael Barash set a career high with five hits, including a homer, and four RBIs. The 66ers went 10-for-20 with runners in scoring position and had nine extra-base hits among their 23 total.
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Lancaster's offense also spread hits throughout its starting nine. California League batting leader Yonathan Daza went 4-for-6 with five RBIs and finished a homer off the cycle while Wes Rogers posted the same line with three driven in. The JetHawks outpaced the 66ers in hits with runners in scoring position, notching 11 in 26 at-bats, but Lancaster didn't homer in the loss.
The 19 runs and 23 hits established season highs for the 66ers while the JetHawks' 15 runs and 20 hits were one shy of matching their best of the year. Inland Empire's run total stands as the top mark in the California League this year, while the 23 hits equaled Stockton's output on July 29.