RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes used one swing of the bat to get past the Stockton Ports on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series at LoanMart Field. Deacon Liput hit a three-run homer in the third inning to help vault the Quakes to
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes used one swing of the bat to get past the Stockton Ports on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series at LoanMart Field. Deacon Liput hit a three-run homer in the third inning to help vault the Quakes to a 5-2 win over the Ports to close out Stockton's six-game road trip.
The Ports opened the scoring in the first inning as Jameson Hannah doubled to open the game and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jonah Bride to give Stockton a 1-0 lead.
Rancho Cucamonga would take the lead for good in the third. After Ports starter Brady Feigl (5-7) set down the first eight batters he faced, he issued a two-out walk to Brandon Montgomery in the third followed by an infield single by Donovan Casey. Liput came up next and delivered the biggest blow of the afternoon, a three-run homer to right-center that gave the Quakes a 3-1 lead.
Feigl would suffer the loss, going four innings and allowing three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out two.
Quakes starter John Rooney (2-1) would work through the sixth inning and in the sixth, gave up a two-out RBI single to Trace Loehr that drew the Ports to within a run at 3-2. Rooney would go on to earn the win, going six innings and allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out a career-high eight.
After two scoreless innings worked by Jake Bray, Eric Mariñez took over in the seventh and, with one out, gave up a walk to Montgomery followed by an RBI triple to Casey that stretched the Quakes lead to 4-2. Liput came up next and delivered a bunt-single to score a second run in the frame and make it a 5-2 contest.
Marinez allowed two runs on four hits over his two innings of work.
Connor Strain, Guillermo Zuniga and Melvin Jimenez (SV, 1) each worked a scoreless inning to close out the game for Rancho Cucamonga with Jimenez earning his first save of the season.
Following a day off on Monday, the Ports return home to Banner Island Ballpark to welcome the Modesto Nuts for a three-game series that kicks off a six-game homestand. The starting pitchers for the opener of the series have yet to be announced. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.
