Having clinched the first-half championship and an automatic playoff bid, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes returned home from San Bernardino where they swept the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) in a five game series. Once back at LoanMart Field, they took on the second place Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) in another five game series. 

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Game-1

Center fielder Jeren Kendall helped the Quakes hit the ground running, driving in a run in the first, which was immediately followed by a solo home run by second baseman Devin Mann to put the Quakes up 2-0. A double steal in the second allowed third baseman Marcus Chiu to steal home. 

Back to back doubles in the top of the third against Quakes starter Leo Crawford allowed the Storm to score, making the score 3-1. First baseman Nick Yarnall took the run back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning. Lake Elsinore fired back in the fourth with a solo home run. Crawford was removed for the fifth in favor of Austin Drury. In his home debut, the left-hander gave up one run on four hits. Connor Mitchell relieved him with two outs in the sixth. He issued two walks and two strikeouts, but did not allow a hit or run in his 1.1 innings. Connor Strain took over in the eighth, giving up one run, however, he struck out the side in his one inning of work.

With a narrow 5-4 lead, the Quakes scored two on a sacrifice fly as catcher Jordan Procyshen, reached on an error. Left fielder Drew Avans drove in two more runs with a bases clearing triple to put the Quakes on top 9-4. Logan Salow closed out the ninth and kept the win intact for Mitchell. 

However, the Quakes were forced to forfeit the win as Crawford was ineligible to play as he didn’t spend the required seven days on the injured list, instead pitching on his sixth day. In the books and according to Baseball America, the Quakes took a 9-0 loss, however none of the pitchers in the game earned decisions. All of the stats earned by each team’s players will remain intact otherwise. 

Game-2 

Dodgers 2018 second-round draft pick Michael Grove got the start for Rancho and quickly gave up a run on a sacrifice fly. He also gave up a two run homer run in the second inning. In the third, a Chiu single drove in two to get the Quakes within one. Grove walked a batter to start the fourth and was replaced by Wills Montgomerie who allowed a run to score. Yarnall drove in a run in the fourth with a double and center fielder Brayan Morales drove in the game tying run with a single.

Things got messy in the fifth as Montgomerie allowed four runs to score. Rancho catcher Connor Wong tacked on a run in the fifth, but a big sixth inning from the Storm made the run irrelevant. A combination of an error, a balk, and a double (among other things) lead to two runs scoring. A walk and two outs later, Montgomerie was replaced by Sven Schueller. A second error and three straight singles allowed three more runs to score, giving the Storm a commanding (and ugly) 13-5 lead. 

Shortstop Jeter Downs hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning and Mann drove in a run in the seventh with a ground out, but they couldn’t undo the damage the Storm offense had done. Bryan Warzek took over in the eighth inning and issued a bases loaded walk, further sinking the Quakes hopes of rallying back from the 14-8 deficit. Montgomerie took the loss, his first of the season. 

Game-3 

Quakes starter Josiah Gray turned in yet another spectacular start, going seven innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six. The run scored in the second; an RBI single. For the second time this season, the Quakes were on the verge of being no hit. However, in the fourth inning they managed to score a run without the aid of a hit on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from center fielder Jeren Kendall. In the eighth, Morales finally broke through the Storm’s exceptional pitching, hitting a single to center.

Salow took over for Gray in the eighth and gave up one hit over his two innings of work. Max Gamboa took over in the tenth and with the bases loaded, he threw a wild pitch, allowing a run to score, putting the Storm up 2-1. In the bottom of the inning, the Quakes also had a bases loaded wild pitch, tying the game at two. Downs took care of things from there, hitting a sacrifice fly to left to score the game-winning run. Gamboa earned the win, his fourth of the season. 

Game-4 

Kendall led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run and a bases loaded walk allowed another run to score. Downs hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second. Quakes newcomer Andre Jackson gave up two runs in the top of the third, but the Quakes took them back with an RBI single from second baseman Deacon Liput and a sacrifice fly from catcher Jordan Procyshen. Downs and Yarnall both hit solo home runs in the fourth to put the Quakes up 7-2. In the bottom of the fifth, Liput scored on a wild pitch. 

Mitchell took over in the sixth, throwing two innings and giving up just one hit. Strain took the last two innings, giving up a run on his second wild pitch of the game. Mitchell earned the win, officially his second of the season, as his win from the first game of the series was nullified. 

Game-5 

Starter Gerardo Carrillo was charged with two runs in the first and was removed from the game with an arm injury. Wes Helsabeck replaced him and gave up five runs (four earned) due to an error by third baseman Marcus Chiu, over his 1.1 innings of work.

Bryan Warzek came in for the third and gave up one hit over his 1.1 innings pitched. He was replaced by Austin Drury after Chiu made a third error.  Right fielder Donovan Casey hit a double in the fifth for Rancho’s first hit of the day and was driven in by Procyshen with his own double. Elsinore scored four more runs against Drury and Schuller.

With an 11-1 deficit, the Quakes turned to Nick Yarnall (yes, a position player pitching) to get the final out of the eighth and get through the ninth. He gave up a single and struck out one batter. The Quakes bats woke up in the ninth, scoring four runs thanks to two singles, two doubles, a passed ball, and a fielder’s choice/error but were unable to overcome the large deficit. Carrillo took the loss in the 11-5 runaway.

The Quakes are off for the next three days for the California League All-Star break, with the 2019 Cal League All-Star Game taking place on Tuesday, June 18 at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino, home to the Inland Empire 66ers.

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