Quakes’ Bats Struggle in 6-5 Loss

One night after striking 19 Rancho hitters, Inland Empire enjoyed a 21-strikeout effort, as the 66ers hung on for a 6-5 win over the Quakes on Thursday night at San Manuel Stadium.

Quakes’ starter Jimmy Lewis (0-1) scuffled a bit in his pro debut, surrendering a lead-off homer and a total of three runs in the first inning, as the 66ers grabbed the early 3-0 advantage.

Lewis bounced back to strand a pair of runners in the second as part of a scoreless inning to finish his night.

Trailing 4-0 in the fifth, Alex DeJesus doubled home Jorbit Vivas to put the Quakes on the board at 4-1.

Inland got a run in the fifth and another in the sixth, taking a 6-1 lead.

Rancho made a run at it in the eighth, scoring four times without the aid of a hit. Four consecutive walks, a wild pitch and a balk accounted for the four-spot, making it a 6-5 game.

In the ninth, Rancho went 1-2-3 against reliever Kolton Ingram, who earned his first save of the year.

Inland reliever Jose Goff (1-0) notched the win by scattering two hits over 3.1 innings.

The Quakes (2-1) will send Kendall Williams to the hill on Friday night in game four of the series, as he’ll match up against Inland Empire’s Jack Kochanowicz with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

The game can be heard live on the iHeart Radio App, the Tune-In Radio App, as well as our website, at RCQuakes.com.

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!