Quakes Hold Off Storm, Win Second Straight

Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes pulled together their second straight win over division-leading Lake Elsinore, downing the Storm on Friday night by a final score of 5-4.

It was a patchwork of pitching for Rancho Cucamonga, who got hit with an injury early in the day to their starting pitcher, forcing them to start a reliever and use two debuting players, both of whom factored into the decision.

Friday’s originally-scheduled starter, Edgardo Henriquez, was placed on the Injured List in the afternoon, as Rancho had to move reliever Adolfo Ramirez into a spot-start for the first time this year. All Ramirez did was strike out seven of the nine hitters he faced over three perfect innings.

Lake Elsinore starter Garrett Hawkins was equally effective though, as he actually retired the first 13 hitters he faced.

The Storm got on the board in the fourth, taking a 1-0 lead against right-hander Heisell Baro, who was one of two relievers added to the roster earlier in the day. Baro (1-0) settled down to eventually give the Quakes two innings and was rewarded later on with his first win of the year.

Rancho grabbed the lead for good, scoring two in the fifth, followed by two in the sixth. Kenneth Betancourt’s RBI double in the fifth made it 2-1. Damon Keith and Luis Diaz added RBI hits in the sixth to make it 4-1.

Lake Elsinore fought back, scoring twice against Christian Suarez in the seventh, making it a one-run game at 4-3.

Marco Hernandez gave the Quakes some much-needed insurance as he blasted his first homer of the year in the seventh, making it a 5-3 game.

The Storm loaded the bases but came away empty against Kelvin Bautista in the eighth, then immediately threatened again in the ninth.

Trailing 5-3, Lake Elsinore’s Kervin Pichardo greeted new Quakes’ reliever Osvanny Gutierrez with his first homer of the year, a drive to right field to make it 5-4. Gutierrez settled in though, retiring the next three hitters to earn his first save of the year in his debut.

Rancho (27-22) now trails Lake Elsinore by just two games in the standings, with two games to play in the series and 17 overall in the first half.

The Quakes will send River Ryan (0-0) to the mound on Saturday against Lake Elsninore’s Victor Lizarraga (1-1) at 6:30pm. Saturday will feature post-game Fireworks, thanks to Welding Certification Center. Tickets are available at rcquakes.com. We hope to see you at LoanMart Field...Go Quakes!