Sixers Fall to Quakes 6-3 on Sunday, Drop Series

Rancho Cucamonga, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino fell to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6-3 on Sunday at LoanMart Field. The Sixers jumped out to a 3-0 lead but the Quakes scored the next six runs including the decisive eighth inning where they dropped three runs on a pair of homers and took a six-game set four-games-to-two.

The 66ers (13-16) scored in the opening frame after Elijah Greene reached on an error and stole second. He came home when Braxton Martinez laced a double his ninth of the year. The Sixers touched Quakes (16-13) starter Kendall Williams again in the third when Jose Guzman sizzled a double to right-center and later scored on D’Shawn Knowles RBI double for a 2-0 lead. Martinez struck again with a RBI single to left and a 3-0 advantage for the Sixers. For the second consecutive game, however, the Sixers built a 3-0 lead in the third and then the offense fell dormant. Jack Dashwood held the Quakes down in the until the fifth when, with two outs and and two on, the Sixers lifted Dashwood for fellow lefty Jerryell Rivera. Sam McWilliams immediately singled off Rivera bringing in a run but the inning ended without further damage on a great relay throw to the plate from shortstop Jeremiah Jackson to cut down a would-be second run. The Quakes struck again in the sixth when Diego Cartaya blasted a solo homer to make it 3-2. Rancho tied the game 3-3 later in the inning after a batter reached on 3B Jeremy Arocho’s throwing error and scored two batters later on another throwing error by Arocho. Justin Courtney (1-1) threw a perfect seventh for the Sixers but ran into trouble in the decisive eighth when McWilliams singled and Brandon Lewis smacked a two-run shot to take a 5-3 edge. Cartaya followed with his second bomb of the day and fifth in eight games since joining the Quakes. Lefty Jose Hernandez (2-0) was credited with the win out of the pen for Rancho. Dashwood struck out six on the day and in 22.2IP this season he’s fanned 29 without a walk.

The 66ers open a series Tuesday at Visalia at 6:00pm. The contest can be heard live on 66ers.com.