Anybody who says that the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes exciting bottom of the ninth, down to their last out, down to their last strike, come-from-behind 6-5 win over the High Desert Mavericks on Wednesday night to advance to the California League Championship Series wasn’t a miracle or didn’t involve a little divine intervention is lying – it’s as simple as that. And while a finish like this has undoubtedly happened sometime, somewhere before, you’d probably be hard-pressed to name when and where.

But even as unlikely as Wednesday night’s game was, you won’t find even one Quakes player or coach who would tell you that they didn’t have it in them to pull off such a miracle win.

Without question, the at-bat that Quakes left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo put together changed the momentum of the game. With two outs and the bases empty, and down 0 and 2 in the count, the 21-year-old Orange, California native was able to work out walk off of Mavericks right-hander Dakota Watts; and the rest, as the say, is history.

“It was one of the best at-bats he’s put together in a while,” said Quakes hitting coach Mike Eylward of Scavuzzo. “To have that kind of discipline at the plate in that situation, it shows where his mind was at and it shows that this team never gives up. He battled all the way, he was down two [strikes]. It was unbelievable.”

Scavuzzo’s walk after falling behind 0 and 2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth was the turning point of the game. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Scavuzzo readily admits that two of pitches in the at-bat could have gone either way. They we’re so close, in fact, that on back-to-back pitches, a number of Mavericks players vaulted the dugout railing to rush out onto the field to congratulate their teammates. It was the kiss of death.

“[Watts] threw me a slider on one and two that could have gone either way, it was this close,” Scavuzzo said with his hands maybe two inches apart. “The catcher was kind of standing up a little so it may have looked a little lower than it really was.”

But after a four-day layoff after the final game of the regular season game and then five straight division playoff games, how does Eylward get his guys up to go right into the biggest series of the year – the California League Championship Series – without a break.

“When we’re playing at this time of the year, you got to just keep finding ways to do what you did all year long and stay fresh,” Eylward said. “It was tough with the four days off with some timing issues when you’re not playing, but I think we’re good to go, get back at it with guys getting their timing back, and have a little fun.”

Fun indeed. Let the good times roll.