Magic Number to One!
San Bernardino, CA – The Quakes won their second straight game and moved their magic number to clinch the First Half South Division to just one, as they blanked the Inland Empire 66ers on Thursday night by a final of 5-0 at San Manuel Stadium. Mairo Martinus scored twice and
San Bernardino, CA – The Quakes won their second straight game and moved their magic number to clinch the First Half South Division to just one, as they blanked the Inland Empire 66ers on Thursday night by a final of 5-0 at San Manuel Stadium.
Mairo Martinus scored twice and drove in three, while Christian Zazueta, Cody Morse and Myles Caba combined to hold the 66ers to just six hits, earning Rancho’s sixth shutout of the year.
Rancho’s offense only put up five hits on the night, but they took advantage of some erratic Inland Empire pitching, as starter Nixon Encarnacion (0-1) walked four batters in the second inning, with Gio Cueto taking a bases-loaded walk to force in Martinus, giving Rancho a 1-0 lead.
Martinus struck for a three-run double in the fifth, then scored on an Elijah Hainline sac fly, making it a 5-0 game.
Zazueta (6-2) scattered three hits and a walk over five scoreless, striking out six batters along the way.
Morse and Caba each worked two scoreless innings to finish it off, putting Rancho on the cusp of a playoff spot.
On Friday, the Quakes (35-25) will try to wrap up the first half, sending Sterling Patick (1-2) to the mound against Inland Empire’s Chris Clark (1-5) at 6:35pm.
The Quakes will return home to LoanMart Field on Tuesday, June 17th, taking on the Lake Elsinore Storm in a six-game home stand. Tuesday the 17th will be Healthy RC Recycle Tuesday, with fans having the opportunity to score a FREE Club Seat ticket to the game by visiting the website. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. Go Quakes!