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CalL1 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Disputed Run Gives Lancaster 1-0 Win

May 31, 2006 - California League (CalL1)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes News Release


RANCHO CUCAMONGA-The Lancaster JetHawks were awarded a run after Rancho Cucamonga thought the top of the seventh inning had ended, and that lone tally held up as the difference as the Hawks won their seventh straight game 1-0 before a crowd of 4,205 fans out for Elementary Education Day at the Epicenter Wednesday. The JetHawks improved to 24-29 while the Quakes fell under .500 for the first time all year at 26-27.

With the game scoreless and the bases empty in the top of the seventh, Lancaster's Rusty Ryal drew a two-out walk from Quakes start Jose Arredondo. Ryal then broke for second on a steal attempt and although cactcher Ben Johnson's throw was perfect neither shortstop Sean Rodriguez nor second baseman Abel Nieves covered the bag and the ball caromed into center field as Ryal went to third. Javier Brito then walked to put runners on the corners, and the Quakes brought Kevin Lynch on in relief. That's when things got crazy.

Lynch quickly got two strikes on Richard Mercado, and on an 0-2 slider Mercado appeared to go around but checked his swing. Normally on a play like that Johnson would have appealed immediately to the first base umpire, but since Brito was running on the play Johnson threw to second. As soon as the ball left Johnson's hand though, Ryal broke for home. Nieves received the throw at second but never saw Ryal going to the plate and instead chased Brito back to first base where he was eventually tagged out in a run down as Ryal crossed the plate. After all that happened however, Johnson appealed to first and the first base umpire signaled that Mercado had gone around on the swing for strike three. The Quakes thought that strikeout negated the run, but after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" had been sung and the Cha-Cha Slide had been danced as part of the seventh-inning stretch, the umpires called Quakes manager Bobby Mitchell out of the dugout to explain that the run actually stood because Ryal had scored before Brito had been tagged out. Mercado was not even recorded with a strikeout, since technically the third out of the inning was Brito's caught stealing.

Arredondo and Lancaster lefty Greg Smith provided the pitching duel many expected, as the two offenses combined for just five hits. Smith (7-0) won his seventh straight start with six innings of two-hit baseball, while Arredondo (3-3) allowed just the unearned run while setting a new career-high with 11 strikeouts. Dan Pohlman worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. The game marked the fifth time this year the Quakes have been shutout.

Rancho Cucamonga will look to salvage at least one game in this four-game set in the series at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The game will be tape-delayed until 7 p.m. on KWRM-AM 1370 and online at www.rcquakes.com. Bartolo Colon, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, will make a rehab start for the Quakes and will throw four innings or 60 pitches, whichever comes first. Fernando Rodriguez (5-2, 4.47 ERA) will follow Colon while Lancaster throws lefty Kellen Raab (2-4, 7.38 ERA). Tickets for the game are available and can be purchased on line or over the phone at (909) 481-5252. For more information, please call the Quakes at (909) 481-5000.

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