Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – Dylan Jordan’s masterful outing grounded the Ontario Tower Buzzers (13-16) offense while Kendrey Maduro made a big impact with both his bat and his glove as the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (17-13) pulled out a 2-1 victory on Thursday night at Morongo Field.
Throughout his start, Jordan kept the Tower Buzzers guessing at the plate. In six innings, he did not allow a single run, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters en route to his first quality start and win of the season.
As soon as his time on the mound ended, the Rancho Cucamonga offense backed him up. Kendrey Maduro launched a leadoff home run to open the scoring in the bottom of the sixth. Athanael Duarte and Anyelo Marquez drew back-to-back walks shortly afterward, and a Hayden Alvarez flyout promptly moved Duarte up to third base. Kevyn Castillo then rolled a two-out ground ball to second base, drawing a Mairo Martinus throwing error, allowing Duarte to cross home plate and double the Quakes’ lead.
Down by two, the Tower Buzzers produced an immediate response. A Jose Hernandez single cut the Rancho Cucamonga lead in half at 2-1 in the top of the seventh.
At that point, the Quakes' bullpen took over. Fulton Lockhart entered the game and immediately shut the Ontario lineup down, firing two scoreless innings to close out the victory, Rancho Cucamonga’s first over the Tower Buzzers in franchise history.
The Quakes can even the series up at two games apiece against the Tower Buzzers on Friday at 6:30 PM. RHP Trey Gregory-Alford takes the ball for Rancho Cucamonga versus RHP Brady Smith for Ontario. The first 1,500 fans to arrive at Morongo Field will receive a Quakes Sugar Skull Bobblehead as part of the Hispanic Heritage Night celebration at Morongo Field.