66ers, Quakes drop road trip openers Tuesday

The 66ers and Quakes both began seven-game road trips on Tuesday. The Sixers allowed three unearned runs in the eighth innning, snapping a 3-3 tie and they went on to lose 6-3 at San Jose. And that was the better of the two games. The Quakes were as close as the Sixers' final score after their first two innings,  but trailed by as many as 15 runs in an eventual 19-8 loss at High Desert.

First, the Sixers. With the score 3-3 in the eighth,  San Jose's Nick Noonan reached second base on fielding error by left fielder Elian Herrera to start the inning. With one out, Justin Orenduff replaced Jacobo Meque (0-1) on the mound and Buster Posey hit an  RBI double to score Noonan with the go-ahead run. With two outs, Conor Gillaspie hit an RBI double and Brian Bocock added an RBI single for a 6-3 San Jose lead.

Trayvon Robinson (fifth) and Garett Green (fourth) homered for the  Sixers in the loss. Adolfo Gonzalez had two of the Sixers' seven hits. Sixers starter Josh Wall allowed one earned run in four innings.

The Sixers had a heartbreaking loss, while the Quakes had a heart crushing loss.

The 19-8 loss might've been affected by the hitter-friendly elements at Friendly Stater Bros. Stadium, but home runs were not a big factor. High Desert hit three in the game, all solo shots. But the Mavericks also had five doubles and a triple among their 18 hits. There weren't a lot of walks -- Quakes pitchers walked only four -- but the Quakes committed four errors (three by P.J. Phillips) that led to four unearned runs and the Mavericks had nine hits in 23 at-bats with runners in scoring position. It was the most runs allowed by the Quakes since April 19, 2008, in a 21-7 loss at Stockton. Starting pitcher Robert Fish (1-4), a Miller HS alum, took the brunt of the damage, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.

The Mavericks were led by Jamie McOwen, who was 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBI, Alex Liddi, who was 3-for-4 with five runs and two RBI, and Kuo Hui Lo, who was 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI. Liddi and Lo each homered.

Offensively, the Quakes were led by Matt Sweeney, who was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Clay Fuller, Jeremy Moore, Anthony Norman, C.J. Bressoud and Carlos Colmenares each had two hits in the Quakes' 15-hit attack.