Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (20-28, 56-58) could not slow the Ontario Tower Buzzers (28-20, 61-53) down in the final inning on Sunday evening at Morongo Field, letting a late lead slip on the way to a 10-5 defeat.
In the early stages, the Quakes turned to small ball to break through on the scoreboard. Jonathan Linares kickstarted the offense in the bottom of the third, punching a single to right field. He promptly stole second base, helping Jaxon Willits drive him in on a base hit of his own. The Angels’ fifth-round pick advanced to third base on the play, and following a Gavin Grahovac walk, the duo combined for a delayed double steal, helping Willits cross home plate and hand Rancho Cucamonga a 2-0 lead.
Gabriel Davalillo kept up their momentum the very next inning. He launched a home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth, extending the Quakes’ edge to three approaching the game’s midway point.
The multi-run cushion proved more than enough for the first two Rancho Cucamonga arms to protect through the middle frames. Starter C.J. Gray twirled 3.2 scoreless innings in his first-ever appearance at Morongo Field, scattering one hit and three walks while striking out six Tower Buzzers. Brayan Vergara promptly kept it up, spinning 2.1 shutout frames of his own, fanning three hitters in the process.
Ontario opened their account in the top of the seventh via a Conner O’Neal solo home run, but the Quakes immediately nullified it shortly thereafter. Anyelo Marquez cranked a two-run shot, resulting in a 5-1 advantage heading into the final two innings.
After an uneventful eighth inning, the Tower Buzzers jolted to life at the plate in their final turn at bat. Down to their final strike, they erased their four-run deficit in the top of the ninth, striking for nine runs to flip the game on its head and escape Rancho Cucamonga with a miraculous come-from-behind victory.
The Quakes hit the road for Valley Strong Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 PM to begin a six-game set against the Visalia Rawhide. They return to Morongo Field on August 25th at 6:30 PM for their final home series opener, a Healthy RC Recycle Tuesday and Two Dollar Tuesday matchup versus the Lake Elsinore Storm.