Sixers Smash Past Rawhide

SAN BERNADINO, CA - Jordan Zimmerman hit a pair of home runs for Inland Empire and Julian Leon added a three-run shot as the 66ers shut out the Rawhide 7-0 tonight.

Inland Empire (36-39/3-2) got going early thanks to Zimmerman's first shot of the game, a two-run blast in the first off of Emilio Vargas. Vargas settled down after the first and made it to the fifth with the Rawhide trailing 2-0, striking out six 66ers hitters along the way.
But in the fifth top Angels' prospect Joe Adell tagged a two-out line-drive single over the leaping third baseman Drew Ellis to score Leon and put the 66ers up 3-0.
Vargas (L, 6-2) would surrender a solo homer to Zimmerman in the sixth and a subsequent single to Jonah Todd. Against his final hitter of the night, Vargas struck out Connor Justus swinging on a fastball. The punchout was the 400^th of his now six-year career.
Carlos Bustamante relieved Vargas and walked David Mackinnon before allowing the three-run homer to Leon. The blast put the Rawhide behind 7-0 and they never recovered.
Vargas ended up being on the hook for a season-high five runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Tonight's runs were the first that he had allowed in the month of June, ending a streak of 21 straight innings without a run allowed; Vargas also put up 22 straight scoreless innings in mid-May.
Visalia (40-35/3-2) never got the offense clicking, mustering just three hits. Pavin Smith provided two of the hits: a ringing double off the top of the right field wall to lead off the fourth and a two-out single in the eighth. Ellis hit a one-out single in the second.
Matt Brill also made his Rawhide debut on the mound and struck out the side in order in a perfect eighth inning.
The Rawhide will continue the four-game trip to Inland Empire tomorrow evening. RHP Connor Grey (5-4, 4.61) will be on the hill for the Rawhide against RHP Simon Matthews (0-2, 10.03). First pitch will be at 7:05 PM and the live radio broadcast will be available on rawhidebaseball.com.