Giants Rally Late To Even Series In Rancho
The San Jose Giants scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to earn a 6–4 come-from-behind win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Wednesday evening at LoanMart Field. Alexander Suarez delivered the key hit with a tiebreaking two-out, two-RBI double before the Giants held off the Quakes late to even the series at a game apiece. With the victory, San Jose (52–40 overall, 12–14 second half) has won eight out of their last 11 games overall.
Other standouts for the Giants offensively on Wednesday included Turner Hill (2-for-2, 2 RBI), who reached base in all five of his plate appearances from the leadoff spot and drew a bases loaded walk that tied the game in the top of the eighth. Diego Velasquez (2-for-5, 2B) and P.J. Hilson (2-for-4, 2B) also produced multi-hit games for San Jose.
The Giants trailed for the majority of the contest with Rancho Cucamonga scoring twice in the bottom of the second to take an early 2–0 lead. Dylan Cumming started on the mound for San Jose and escaped a bases loaded, none out jam in the first before running into more trouble in the second. A walk to Jesus Galiz started the rally and then Dayton Dooney laced an RBI double to the fence in deep left center to get the Quakes on the board. A double to center from Wilman Diaz followed advancing Dooney to third before Jose Izarra’s sacrifice fly made it 2–0 Rancho.
The Giants immediately got one run back in the top of the third as Hilson started the inning with a double off the fence in left. Two batters later, Hill grounded a single into right to bring home Hilson cutting the Quakes lead to 2–1.
The score would then remain at 2–1 all the way until the seventh. Cumming pitched four innings in his start allowing only the two runs (both earned) on four hits. He walked two and struck out six during his 72-pitch outing. Cumming finished his night by retiring nine straight Rancho Cucamonga hitters. Esmerlin Vinicio then relieved Cumming to begin the bottom of the fifth and promptly fired two perfect innings to extend the streak to 15 consecutive Quakes hitters set down.
The deficit, however, remained at one run as San Jose was unable to take advantage of Andrew Kachel’s one-out triple in the top of the fourth and stranded the bases loaded in the seventh. The Quakes then rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Vinicio to extend their lead. Galiz again started a run-scoring rally as he singled to leadoff before Dooney smashed another double to put runners on second and third. Diaz followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Galiz for a 3–1 margin. Then after a walk to Izarra, an RBI single off the bat of Josue De Paula stretched the Rancho Cucamonga advantage to 4–1.
The Giants though responded in the eighth as the first five batters of the inning reached safely and all five would eventually come home to score runs. Velasquez led off the frame by blasting a double into the left field corner before consecutive walks to Onil Perez and Kachel loaded the bases. Justin Bench was up next and he lined an RBI single into left as Velasquez scored to pull San Jose within 4–2. Anthony Rodriguez then worked a bases loaded walk to force home Perez to trim the deficit to 4–3. A shallow fly out to center from Hilson before a strikeout of Jose Ramos put the Quakes on the verge of getting out of the inning, but Hill followed by drawing a five-pitch walk, the fourth free pass of the inning, to bring home Kachel with the tying run. Suarez then blooped a fly ball into shallow left center for a double as Bench and Rodriguez both raced home with the fourth and fifth runs of the inning and a 6–4 Giants lead.
Wilkelma Castillo fired two hitless innings over the bottom of the eighth and ninth to slam the door. Castillo worked around a two-out walk in the eighth and then breezed through a 1–2–3 ninth inning to collect his first save of the season. Castillo struck out four during his two-inning stint on the mound.
San Jose out-hit Rancho Cucamonga 9–7. The Giants won for the fifth time this season when trailing after seven innings (5–28).
The Giants continue their series in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday evening with first pitch at LoanMart Field set for 6:30 PM. Nomar Medina is San Jose’s scheduled starting pitcher. The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com.
