Rancho Cucamonga wins South Division first-half title, clinches playoff spot

San Jose, CA – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes wrapped up the First Half South Division Title by hammering the San Jose Giants on Saturday evening, 15-2 at Excite Ballpark.

Needing a loss from Lake Elsinore and a win of their own in order to clinch, the Quakes got exactly what they hoped for, as Stockton defeated the Lake Elsinore Storm roughly 20 minutes before Rancho’s game went final.

Peter Heubeck not only earned his first professional win, but he tossed five no-hit innings in the clinching game.

Heubeck (1-5) allowed three walks, but struck out five, needing 70 pitches to work five scoreless frames.

Rancho’s offense backed him early, as Nick Biddison got the scoring started with a solo homer (5) in the first, giving the Quakes a 2-0 after one inning against Giants’ starter Nomar Medina (3-3).

In the third, they exploded for four, taking a 6-0 advantage. The offense, which posted 15 runs on 16 hits, would strike for one in the fifth, two in the sixth, four more in the seventh and then two final runs in the eighth.

Kyle Nevin homered (4) and had three hits, while Jorge Puerta and Luis Rodriguez also had three hits each.

San Jose finished with just two hits and didn’t collect their first base hit of the night until Jose Ramos doubled home a run with two outs in the seventh.

Rancho (36-26) wins their first First-Half South Crown since 2019. On Sunday, they’ll try to win the series with the Giants, by sending Gabe Emmett (4-2) to the mound, opposite Jack Choate (3-0) at 1pm in the finale.

The Quakes will return to LoanMart Field on Tuesday, June 20 for a Healthy RC Recycle Tuesday, as fans can pledge to recycle 10 CRV-eligible bottles and cans. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. Go Quakes!