66ers win, tie for 1st; Quakes are swept

Drew Heid led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run, giving the Sixers (8-5) a 7-6 victory over the Modesto Nuts at San Manuel Stadium on Wednesday.

The win boosted the Sixers (8-5) into a tie for first place in the South Division with the High Desert Mavericks (8-5), who lost at Lancaster.

After blowing an early lead by giving up five unearned runs in the seventh, the Sixers rallied with three in the bottom of the eighth, capped by Travis Witherspoon’s run-scoring fielder’s choice to tie the score 6-6.

Travis Witherspoon, Taylor Lindsey and Brian Hernandez had three hits apiece for the Sixers, who out-hit the Nuts, 17-6. Randal Grichuk also hit his first homer of the season.

Ex-Quake Trevor Reckling, who joined the Sixers from extended spring training, where he was recovering from a hamstring injury, entered in relief. He allowed the five unearned runs in the seventh, all the runs he allowed in 2 2/3 innings. He is scheduled to join the rotation, replacing Wednesday’s starter Manaurys Correa. Reckling spent all of three starts with the Quakes at the beginning of the 2009 season, and has spent the time since then at Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake. Reckling, 22, is still ranked as the Angels’ No. 22 prospect by Baseball America.

Bryant George (1-0) got the win with three innings of scoreless relief.

The Quakes (5-9), meanwhile lost their fourth in a row on their seven-game road trip, getting swept by San Jose 8-5. San Jose (12-2) won its ninth straight game.

Tyler Henson and Austin Gallagher drove in two runs apiece for the Quakes, and Gallagher hit his second homer. Chris O[‘Brien and Chris Jacobs had two hits apiece for the Quakes, who failed to rally from a 5-0 deficit. Carter Jurica hit a grand slam for San Jose off of Quakes spot starter Freddie Cabrera (0-1).

Steve Smith pitched three shutout innings, but Cabrera and Greg Wilborn combined to allow eight runs in five innings.