Nuts Take 1-0 Lead in Championship Series

Modesto, CA – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes will return to LoanMart Field on Tuesday night, needing back-to-back wins, as they trail the best-of-three Cal League Championship Series to the Modesto Nuts, after Sunday night’s 9-2 loss at John Thurman Field.

A nine-run Modesto fifth put the Nuts ahead to stay, erasing Rancho’s one-run lead and grabbing a 1-0 lead in the Championship Series.

Jake Gelof, who hit a pair of solo homers, took Tyler Cleveland deep in the third, giving Rancho a 1-0 lead for Quakes’ starter Christian Romero.

Romero was brilliant through the first four, but started to run out of gas in the fifth. Romero (0-2) allowed a run-scoring hit to R.J. Schreck, tying the game at 1-1. With two on and one out, he was lifted for Joel Ibarra, who surrendered a three-run homer to the first batter he faced, as Jonny Farmelo’s three-run blast gave Modesto the lead for good at 4-1. Ibarra was eventually lifted after recording just one out. With another run home after a bases-loaded walk, Ibarra was removed for Kelvin Bautista, who then gave up a grand slam to Tatum Levins, making it 9-1.

Gelof smacked another homer off Cleveland (1-0) in the sixth, but that’s as close as Rancho would get, as they finished with just seven hits, with both runs coming via the long-ball.

The Quakes will send Chris Campos (0-0) to the mound on Tuesday, as he makes his second post-season start, after firing four scoreless innings last week against Inland Empire. Michael Morales (0-0) will make his second playoff start for the Nuts, as he’ll throw game two. Tuesday’s contest will begin at 6:30pm at LoanMart Field and tickets are available at rcquakes.com.