Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – Derek Clark was in fine form on Friday night at Morongo Field as he delivered seven scoreless innings to lead the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (15-19, 51-49) to a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Giants (19-15, 56-44).
The Quakes got their best swings off in the early goings to allow Clark to work with a lead. Kevyn Castillo led off the bottom of the second by ripping a leadoff triple, and shortly thereafter, Anyelo Marquez blasted a two-run home run, handing Rancho Cucamonga a 2-0 advantage. One frame later, after back-to-back singles from Hayden Alvarez and Major League rehabber Adam Frazier, Kendrey Maduro provided a sacrifice fly, tacking on another run to aid the cause.
Up by three runs, Clark proceeded to dominate a potent Giants lineup. He allowed just two hits and one walk over the course of his outing, striking out two batters en route to his seventh win of the season, tying Yokelvin Reyes for the top spot on the team.
Once he departed, Brayan Vergara picked up right where he left off from the bullpen. Despite surrendering leadoff doubles in both his innings, he bounced back both times to keep San Jose off the board, striking out the side in the ninth as well to cement the shutout victory.
The Quakes have a chance to secure a series win over the Giants on Saturday at 6:30 PM. RHP Ubaldo Soto gets the ball for Rancho Cucamonga opposite LHP Jordan Gottesman for San Jose. Upon the conclusion of the night’s action, fans can enjoy a spectacular postgame fireworks display, courtesy of Chick-fil-A.