Quakes Take Third Straight at Elsinore

Lake Elsinore, CA – The Quakes stunned the Lake Elsinore Storm for a third straight night, as Rancho tallied a 6-4 win at The Diamond on Friday evening.

Bubba Alleyne’s go-ahead triple gave the Quakes the lead as part of a five-run fifth and Joan Valdez nailed down the final out with the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, bringing Rancho to just two games back of the first-place Storm in the second-half standings.

Rancho starter Peter Heubeck retired the first six hitters he faced but had some command issues in the third, as the Storm took advantage of three walks, scoring two runs without a hit to take a 2-0 lead.

That lead held until the fifth, when the Quakes grabbed the lead for good against debuting Storm reliever Will Geerdes (0-1). Yeiner Fernandez tied the game with a two-run single and Alleyne followed with a two-run triple to put Rancho up 4-2. Dalton Rushing followed with a sac fly to complete the five-run frame at 5-2.

Reliever Jerming Rosario (5-6) was brilliant on Friday, dominating over five scoreless innings, holding the Storm to just three hits while punching out six batters.

Leading 6-2 in the last of the ninth, Rancho reliever Yamil Castillo gave up a solo homer to Justin Farmer, making it 6-3. Joan Valdez was called upon to get the final out with the tying run at the plate, but was greeted by an RBI double from Jackson Merrill to make it 6-4. Valdez recovered though, getting Marcos Castanon to pop up to end the game and secure his fourth save.

The Quakes (20-20, 56-50) will send Maddux Bruns (0-2) to the mound on Saturday at 5:05pm, as he’ll take on Victor Lizarraga (6-2) in game five of the series.

The Quakes return to LoanMart Field on Tuesday, August 16 against the Modesto Nuts, for another Healthy RC Recycle Tuesday. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. We hope to see you at LoanMart Field...Go Quakes!