CalL1 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Quakes Complete Sweep of Blaze With 4-3 Win

Published on April 9, 2006 under California League (CalL1)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes News Release


RANCHO CUCAMONGA-Freddy Sandoval snapped a 3-3 tie with sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and Kevin Jepsen survived a pair of walks in the ninth as the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished a three-game sweep of the Bakersfield Blaze with a 4-3 win before 3,632 fans at the Epicenter Sunday. The win pushed the Quakes to 3-0 on the year while Bakersfield fell to 0-3.

Just as in Saturday's 3-0 win, Rancho opened the scoring with a three-spot in the bottom of the third. Sandoval started the rally with a one-out walk, and then scored all the way from first just two pitches later when Sean Rodriguez crushed an RBI double to the base of the wall in center field for a 1-0 lead. Michael Collins followed with a deep drive to left that bounced off the top part of the wall and back onto the field of play. The ball was originally ruled in play by the third base umpire, but Quakes manager Bobby Mitchell argued that the ball hit over the yellow line on the outfield wall, making it a home run. The umpires conferred and the home plate umpire then changed the call, giving Collins his first home run of the year and the Quakes a 3-0 lead.

Bakersfield started to chip away in the fifth, as Emerson Frostad led off with a double and scored on an infield hit by Justin Hatcher to make it 3-1. The Blaze added another run in the sixth when James Fasano reached on a fielding error by first baseman Baltazar Lopez and score later in the inning on a throwing error by Rodriguez, and Bakersfield tied it in the seventh when Hatcher drew a leadoff walk and scored on a broken-bat single by Fasano.

Rancho took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh though, and were helped mightily by a pair of Bakersfield miscues. Cody Fuller opened the inning by drawing a walk, but LeBlanc's sacrifice attempt went right back to reliever Edwin Vera who took the force out at second to cut down the lead runner. Then with Sandoval at the plate LeBlanc broke too soon for second as Vera threw behind him to Fasano at first base. Fasano's throw to second was off-line and skipped into left field however, and LeBlanc moved up to second. Just two pitches later, Vera threw a wild pitch to move LeBlanc to third, and with the infield drawn in Sandoval delivered the sac fly that held up as the difference.

Micah Posey (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits in two innings of relief but still got the win He walked one and struck out two. Vera (0-1) was charged with the loss and Jepsen's save was his second of the season. Both Quakes starter Jose Arredondo and Blaze starter Kea Kometani were impressive but got no-decisions. Arredondo allowed just one run on five hits in five innings and struck out seven. Kometani also struck out seven in five innings, and allowed three runs on five hits.

The Quakes continue their week-long homestand at 7:05 p.m. Monday against the High Desert Mavericks. Rafael Rodriguez will start for the Quakes against High Desert's Patrick Hicklen. For more information, please call the Quakse at (909) 481-5000.

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California League Stories from April 9, 2006


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