Quakes duplicate 66ers comeback feat

When the 66ers rallied from a 16-7 deficit in the fifth inning to down Bakersfield 24-19 on April 16, it was certainly one for the ages. Of course, it set the league record for longest nine-inning game (4:55), but it seemed unlikely another team in the league would come back from nine runs down any time soon.

But on Thursday, less than 3 weeks later, the Quakes did exactly that. They trailed 10-1 at Lancaster after two innings and it was still 10-1 as they went to the fifth, but rallied to win, 17-11 to sweep a four-game series. It was a little different than the Sixers’ comeback. The Sixers scored 10 in the fifth in their comeback to take the lead, then broke a 19-19 tie with five runs in the ninth.

The Quakes didn’t do it as much as quickly, but unlike Bakersfield, Lancaster had no answer, with only one baserunner during the final four innings. A five-run Quakes fifth made it 10-6 and it was still 11-7 entering the eighth. After Lancaster retired the first batter, Pedro Guerrero, the Quakes really started hitting.

The next four batters hit for the cycle: Nick Buss double, Jake Lemmerman RBI triple, Angelo Songco RBI single and Blake Smith’s two-run homer that tied the score 11-11. After a Gorman Erickson walk, JetHawks closer Kirk Clark came in and J.T. Wise belted the first pitch he saw for a two-run homer that gave the Quakes the lead for good, 13-11. They scored four more runs against Clark in the ninth to win going away.

Songco and Buss had four hits apiece in the Quakes’ 19-hit attack. In addition to the two-run homers from Smith and Wise, Travis Denker and Buss also hit two-run homers. Smith drove in a game-high four runs. Jordan Roberts (1-0) retired all 11 batters he faced to earn the win in relief.

The win improved the Quakes to 18-10, good enough for a five-game South Division lead over the 66ers (13-15), who finished a 2-5 homestand with a 10-3 loss to Stockton on Thursday.