Walk-Off Wild Pitch Wins It In 12

Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Quakes blew a four-run ninth inning lead, but rallied to win in 12 innings on Wednesday night, taking an 8-7 win over the Inland Empire 66ers at LoanMart Field.

With Kenneth Betancourt at the plate and Dayton Dooney at third base, 66ers’ reliever Alan Carter uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Dooney with the game-winner, as Rancho reclaimed their 5.5 game lead in the South Division standings.

Leading 4-2 in the eighth, Rayne Doncon blasted a two-run homer, his tenth, putting Rancho up comfortably, 6-2.

The 66ers didn’t go quietly in the ninth though, as a two-run single from Christian Sepulveda and a pair of wild pitches from Quakes’ reliever Madison Jeffrey allowed Inland Empire to tie the game and send it to extras.

The teams went scoreless in the tenth and then traded runs in the 11^th. Tied at 7-7 in the 12^th, Kenneth Betancourt pulled off a terrific play behind David Tiburcio (2-0), starting a 4-6-3 double-play to end the inning and give the Quakes a chance to win it with a run.

Win it they did, as Dooney, who started the inning at second base, advanced to third on a fly ball to right field by Juan Alonso, then scored on the Carter (1-2) wild pitch for Rancho’s fourth win in their last five games.

The Rancho pitching staff matched a franchise-record with 21 strikeouts through nine innings, then got two more in extras to set a new mark of 23.

The Quakes (31-16) will send Joel Ibarra (4-0) to the mound on Thursday, while Inland Empire will counter with Jorge Marcheco (3-3) at 6:30pm.

Thursday is another Thirsty Thursday, with $3 Pepsi products, $4 domestic drafts and other drink specials throughout the night. In addition, it’s Viva Los Temblores, as part of the Copa de la Diversion program. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. Go Quakes!