CalL1 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Quakes Back Alone in First

Published on June 14, 2012 under California League (CalL1)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes News Release


RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA --- Down to his last strike, Joc Pederson's eighth-inning solo homer over the right-field wall pushed the Quakes ahead for their first lead of the night and proved to be enough, as Rancho held on in the ninth to beat the Lancaster JetHawks, 3-2 on Wednesday night at The Epicenter and retake sole possession of first place in the Cal League South Division.

In the top of the sixth, Lancaster's Erik Castro, with runners on first and second, lined a single off Brandon Martinez, to bring home both and give the JetHawks a 2-0 lead.

After Lancaster took the lead in the sixth, Cal League All-Star C.J. Retherford stepped to the plate, and with a 2-1 count, launched one over the left field wall, recording his team-leading 15th home run of the season and eighth in his last thirteen games to put the Quakes on the board.

Back-to-back doubles later in the inning evened the score at 2-2, as Jonathan Garcia reached second and was brought around by Chris O'Brien, who returned to the lineup tonight for his first action since being placed on the DL for a mild concussion.

Quakes reliever Robert Purpura (2-0), in just his third Rancho appearance, took the mound to start the seventh and offered two innings of clean work, recording zeros across the board and bating the six batters he faced.

Eric Eadington (1-0) tallied his eighth save and struck out Lancaster pinch-hitter Telvin Nash, the Cal League's current home run leader, to end the game and seal the Quakes .500-plus first half record.

Pederson's second homer of the year came off of JetHawks' reliever Zachary Grimmett (2-4), who suffered the loss.

Neither team recorded a hit in three full innings, until Lancaster's Ben Orloff led off the fourth with a single off of Quakes' starter Brandon Martinez. Martinez worked six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, with one walk and three punch-outs in the no-decision.

Retherford, who was the only multi-hit Quake tonight (2-for-4), answered with a lead-off single of his own in the bottom of the fourth to put a tally in the hit column for Rancho against JetHawks' starter Jorge De Leon.

With the win, the Quakes take this three-game series against the JetHawks, all three of which finished as on-run games.

Now leading by a game over both the High Desert Mavericks and the Lake Elsinore Storm, the Quakes (36-31) will travel to High Desert (35-32) for the final three games of the first half of the season.

Rancho sends Angel Sanchez (5-3) to face Mavericks' lefthander Anthony Fernandez (2-4) at 7:05 on Thursday evening in Adelanto.

Following the All-Star break, the Quakes will return home on June 21st for another Buffalo Wild Wing's Thirsty Thursday, to start a four-game series with the Bakersfield Blaze. Game time is 7:05pm and tickets are available by calling 909-481-5000 or by going online to rcquakes.com. Go Quakes!

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California League Stories from June 14, 2012


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