Along with death and taxes, there’s another absolute in life – there is no such thing as a guaranteed win at The Hangar – the home ballpark of the Colorado Rockies Advanced Single-A affiliate Lancaster JetHawks – especially when the wind is blowing; and it is always blowing there.

On Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes learned this painful truth yet again when their once 3-0 lead quickly turned into an 8-3 deficit, only to turn into a 10-8 lead and then an eventual 11-10 loss on a (wait for it…) wind-assisted two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning by JetHawks catcher Hamlet Marte over the right-center field wall at The Hangar.

What makes Marte’s home run even more painful is that is was his first of the season and it came in a game that was started by Quakes hard-throwing right-hander Dennis Santana, who was absolutely brilliantly in his 5.2 innings of work. In fact, the 21-year-old San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic native allowed no runs and only four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in this, his fifth appearance (fourth start) for the Rancho squad.

Santana, who owned a 1-2 record on the season with an minuscule 1.14 ERA when he was removed from Sunday’s win-turned-no-decision, was acquired by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2015. In his combined 23.2 innings pitched thus far this season, the 6′-2″ / 160-pound right-hander has allowed only seven runs on 22 hits while striking out 26 and walking only three. He has allowed only one home run thus far this season at (you guess it) The Hangar during his April 20 start against the JetHawks.

Santana’s 1.14 ERA is second only to Dodgers 2015 first-round draft pick Walker Buehler‘s ridiculous 0.71 ERA. Buehler is currently the Dodgers fifth overall ranked prospect and Santana the 25th.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Quakes got their early lead in support of Santana when JetHawks starter Jesus Tinoco issued a first-inning bases loaded walk to Quakes right fielder Yusniel Diaz. It was Tinoco’s third walk of the inning but the Quakes were unable to capitalize further, leaving the bases loaded to end the inning. They picked up two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a leadoff single by Quakes designated hitter Luke Raley, followed by a double off the bat of catcher Garrett Kennedy, followed by a sacrifice fly by third baseman Brandon Montgomery to make it a 2-0 game. Rehabbing Dodgers outfielder Franklin Gutierrez added a one out single to up the score to 3-0, where it remained until the bottom of the seventh inning, with Santana and Gutierrez no longer in the game.

In that disastrous half inning, Quakes relievers Parker Curry and Alex Hermeling allowed two runs each, followed by four runs allowed by completely ineffective Quakes reliever Andrew Istler in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But in the top of the ninth and as happens so very often at the high desert ballpark, the Quakes rallied for a remarkable seven runs to take a 10-8 lead on a one out solo home run by Quakes left fielder Logan Landon (who had replaced Gutierrez), a single by shortstop Drew Jackson, a hit-by-pitch of center fielder DJ Peters, another Diaz walk, a single by first baseman Ibandel Isabel, a walk to Raley, a ground rule double by Kennedy (that was nearly a grand slam), and a single by second baseman  Zach McKinstry. When the dust cleared (literally), the Quakes were leading by a score of 10-8 and were three outs away from improving their season record to 15-9 and taking a four-game lead over the second place JetHawks.

But just like death and taxes, there is no such thing as a guaranteed win at The Hangar.

With their bullpen nearly depleted, Quakes manager Drew Saylor had no choice but to call upon struggling right-hander Tony Gonsolin – with his 1-2 record and lofty 6.75 ERA – to try to get those final three outs for the win.

He did not.

Instead, Gonsolin allowed a leadoff double to JetHawks left fielder Wes Rogers, followed by an RBI single by first baseman Roberto Ramos and the back-breaking game-winning one out walk-off home run by Marte.

In spite of the outstanding performance by Dennis Santana, the Quakes discovered yet again – and there have been many over the years – there is no such thing as a guaranteed win at The Hangar.