Late Inning Magic Lifts Quakes Over Ports
Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes scored four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh inning again to beat the Ports 7-5 in come from behind fashion on Saturday night at LoanMart Field. It was the Ports’ third blown save of the series and 13th of the season.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes scored four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh inning again to beat the Ports 7-5 in come from behind fashion on Saturday night at LoanMart Field. It was the Ports’ third blown save of the series and 13th of the season.
Stockton (7-25) opened the scoring with a big inning in the top of the first. With Brennan Milone at first base and two outs, Colby Thomas drilled a double off the wall in center field to score Milone and open the scoring giving the Ports a 1-0 lead. T.J. Schofield-Sam followed with a two-run homer to right field, his first of the season, to make it 3-0 Stockton after the top half of the first inning.
The Quakes (23-9) came back with two runs in the bottom of the second against Ports’ starter James Gonzalez. With the bases loaded and two outs, nine-hitter Kenneth Betancourt blooped a single to right center field to score two runs making it 3-2.
The two clubs traded single runs in the third inning. The Ports took a 4-2 lead when T.J. Schofield-Sam hit a sacrifice fly to center field with the bases loaded and one out, and Rayne Doncon led off the bottom of the inning with a home run off Gonzalez to make it 4-3.
The Ports got another sacrifice fly, this one from Milone, in the top of the fourth to increase their lead to 5-3.
With Gonzalez out of the game, the Quakes began their comeback against the Ports bullpen. Stockton reliever Carlos Guarate issued back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the sixth, and after getting the next two outs, Jose Izarra lined a single to left to drive in Jorge Puerta from second base to cut the Ports’ lead to 5-4.
After a leadoff bunt single by Chris Newell to start the bottom of the seventh, Thayron Liranzo blasted a two-run homer down the right field line to put the Quakes on top for the first time, 6-5. Rancho Cucamonga would add another run later in the inning when Dayton Dooney greeted new Ports pitcher Blaze Pontes with an RBI single to center field to make it 7-5.
The Ports threatened in the top of the eighth inning, but an apparent baserunning blunder cost them a run. With two outs and nobody on, Bjay Cooke and Robert Puason hit back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second for Brayan Buelvas. Buelvas hit a slow ground ball to shortstop that trickled under the glove of Izarra and into left center field. With the play over and Cooke in to score, the Quakes appealed to third base thinking Cooke missed the bag, a move that was rewarded by home plate umpire Tim Barreras who called Cooke out to end the inning.
Milone singled to start the ninth but Henry Bolte lined into a double play and Nelson Beltran struck out to end the ballgame.
Rancho Cucamonga reliever Christian Romero (3-0) got the win with 3.2 innings of scoreless ball while registering three strikeouts. Guarate (0-3) took the loss allowing four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings in relief of Gonzalez. Livan Reinoso got the last four outs for his first save of the season.
The Ports and Quakes will conclude their six-game series at LoanMart Field on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 2 pm.