De Jesus with Two Blasts in Win

Alex De Jesus smashed a pair of home runs and finished with four hits and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes won for the third time in four games to open the year, defeating the Inland Empire 66ers on Saturday night by a final of 7-1.

The first of two homers came in the fourth inning, with Rancho already up by a pair, as De Jesus blasted a solo shot to center field to make it 3-0 off 66ers’ starter Adam Seminaris (0-1).

His second round-tripper came in the eighth with a man aboard, as the Quakes broke open the scoring at 7-1.

On the hill, Kendall Williams enjoyed his first start in the Dodgers’ organization, as he allowed one hit and two walks, while fanning four over four innings in a no-decision.

Jose Hernandez (1-0) notched the win out of the pen with a scoreless fifth.

The Quakes (3-1) look to make it four out of five on Sunday afternoon at 2:05pm, as they send Carlos Duran to the mound in his Rancho debut. Inland will counter with Erik Rivera, who makes his first start of the year.

The Quakes open their home schedule next Tuesday night with a 6:30pm game against Modesto. Opening Night is sponsored by All-Pro Plumbing, Heating, Air and Electrical. Limited tickets are available at rcquakes.com. We hope to see you at LoanMart Field very soon!