Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (18-13) stayed one step ahead of the Ontario Tower Buzzers all night long on Friday, leading the way in a 6-0 shutout win at Morongo Field.
In need of an offensive spark in the second inning, the bottom of the Rancho Cucamonga order came through. Jonny McGill ripped a two-out double to the right-field wall, and the very next batter, Marlon Quintero, singled him home to place the Quakes on top 1-0.
With a lead to protect, Quakes starter Trey Gregory-Alford put his teammates on his back. He tossed six spotless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven hitters in a winning effort.
The lineup came to life to give Gregory-Alford more run support in the bottom of the fifth. Slate Alford doubled to lead off the inning and promptly advanced to third as Felix Morrobel reached on an error. Hayden Alvarez then flipped a single into right field, plating Alford in the process. Kevyn Castillo kept the pressure on the Ontario pitching staff, drawing a walk to load the bases. In prime RBI opportunities, Kendrey Maduro and Gabriel Davalillo worked back-to-back free passes and brought home two more runs, pushing the Rancho Cucamonga lead to 4-0.
However, the Quakes still weren’t done. The bases reloaded for Quintero, and on a deep fly ball, Ontario outfielder Jaron Elkins could not make the catch, committing an error that allowed another pair to score, extending the middle-inning edge to six.
Upon Gregory-Alford’s departure, Will Gervase and Jaren Warwick entered from the bullpen to carry the Quakes the rest of the way. The duo combined for three no-run innings with Warwick fanning three Tower Buzzers in 1.2 frames to lock down the team’s first-ever shutout win over the new Los Angeles Dodgers Single-A affiliate.
The Quakes have a chance to take the series lead against the Tower Buzzers on Saturday at 6:30 PM. LHP Derek Clark receives the starting assignment for Rancho Cucamonga versus RHP Hyun-Seok Jang for Ontario. It is also Star Wars Night at Morongo Field, and fans can celebrate the beloved franchise with photo opportunities, crafts, and a postgame fireworks display, presented by San Antonio Regional Hospital.