Tower Buzzers’ Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Quakes, 9-6
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — The Ontario Tower Buzzers found themselves in an early seven-run hole on Thursday night. They fought back and made it interesting, but Rancho Cucamonga’s quick start was just too much, and Ontario lost, 9-6. Dropping to 1-3 on the series. The Quakes came out swinging, scoring
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — The Ontario Tower Buzzers found themselves in an early seven-run hole on Thursday night. They fought back and made it interesting, but Rancho Cucamonga’s quick start was just too much, and Ontario lost, 9-6. Dropping to 1-3 on the series.
The Quakes came out swinging, scoring eight times in the first three innings. Ontario's bullpen did its part, hanging tough for 5.1 innings and giving up just one unearned run after that, but the damage was already done.
Ontario actually put up the game’s first run. Kellon Lindsey ripped a double down the left-field line, moved up on a wild pitch, and then scored on Joendry Vargas’ sacrifice fly.
That lead didn’t last. Rancho Cucamonga wasted no time, banging out four runs in the bottom of the first off Ontario starter Jack O’Connor. Jaxon Willits kicked things off with a solo shot, then Jeffery Heard and Lucas Ramirez followed later in the inning with back-to-back RBI triples.
It didn’t get better for O’Connor in the third. The Quakes tacked on four more, making it 8-1. O’Connor’s night was over after 2.2 innings: eight runs, six hits, two walks, three strikeouts, and four wild pitches.
Even down big, Ontario didn’t quit. In the fifth, Francisco Espinoza and Abel Lorenzo both singled, and a wild pitch brought Espinoza home. Vargas kept it rolling with an RBI single, and then Ching-Hsien Ko uncorked a two-run homer to right. That was Ko’s 17th of the season and bumped him up to 72 RBIs. Suddenly, the Buzzers were back in it at 8-5.
Rancho squeezed across another run in the sixth that was helped along by a couple Ontario errors. Then in the seventh, Lindsey put a charge into the crowd. He blasted a ball to left-center, turned on the jets, and never stopped, inside-the-park home run. His second hit of the night made it a 9-6 game.
Lindsey finished 2-for-5, scored twice, homered, and doubled. Vargas kept getting on base and knocked in two. The Buzzers ended up with seven hits total, but they just couldn’t cash in when it counted, going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
The bullpen deserves a shoutout. Jholbran Herder came in after O’Connor and retired all four batters he saw, striking out three. Then Joel Cruz worked the final four innings, stayed in command, and struck out six without walking any.
Defense, though, was a different story. Ontario’s three errors, two in that messy sixth, helped Rancho pad the lead.
When Ontario was pushing late, the Quakes’ bullpen slammed the door. Angelo Smith sat down all six batters he faced in the last two innings for his first save.
The series picks back up Friday. The Tower Buzzers will try to shake off this one and get back in the win column in Rancho Cucamonga.
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Play-by-Play Broadcaster