Inland Empire 66ers Make Ontario Pay in 17-3 Rout

San Bernardino, Calif. – The Inland Empire 66ers didn’t just hit well Friday night, they took advantage of almost every mistake Ontario made and rolled to a 17-3 win.

Both teams came through with hits. Inland Empire had 15, Ontario finished with 13, but that’s where the similarities ended. Inland Empire cashed in when it counted, going 10-for-24 with runners in scoring position and drawing 10 walks. Ontario was just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position, and they left 14 guys stranded.

Ontario put early pressure on in the first. Joendry Vargas reached on an error, Chase Harlan singled, but a double play killed the rally. Then Inland Empire punched back with a four-hit first inning off Jesus Tillero, taking control right away.

The 20-year-old righty gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs in just over three innings, and the 66ers kept turning Ontario’s mistakes into productive at-bats and extra-base hits.

Inland Empire did this all, while not hitting a single home run in building their lead. Instead, they put pressure on the Buzzers with aggressive baserunning and forced Ontario to crack. The Buzzers committed four errors, let a passed ball get by, and threw multiple wild pitches. Every time they looked like they might get out of an inning, something else went wrong.

The real damage came in the fourth and fifth. Inland Empire piled up six runs in those two frames, stretching the lead from 5-0 to 11-0. Ontario’s pitchers never found their rhythm, allowing ten walks on the night.

Cesar Quintas led the way for Inland Empire, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and bumping his OPS to .949. Dervy Ventura got on base four times, scored three runs, and drove in three more. Estevan Moreno chipped in two doubles and two RBIs. Aiden Taurek managed to drive in three as well, even though he only had one hit.

Ontario’s bullpen didn’t offer any relief. Seamus Barrett threw four wild pitches, and Angel Cruz let in three more runs but only managed to get one out.

Meanwhile, Inland Empire starter Mason Peters just kept it rolling. He tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts, dropping his ERA to 1.74. Opposing hitters are barely scratching .175 against him this year.

Even with all that, a few Ontario hitters showed some life. Chase Harlan went 3-for-5, keeping his average at .323 with a .917 OPS. Easton Shelton picked up two hits and an RBI, and Anson Aroz doubled in two runs in the ninth.

The Buzzers have a much bigger problem in run prevention. Over the last two games of the series, Ontario scored 16 runs but gave up 30. The series still favors Ontario ahead 3-2, and they look for the series win on May 23rd at 6:35 PM.