High Desert Mavericks v. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Review

Rancho Cucamonga wins the series 2-0
Series MVP: Dillon Baird

Game One: Castillo grand slam keys Quakes' offensive outburst

Stater Bros. Stadium has been known for slugfests over the years, and game one lived up to that reputation. The teams combined for 17 runs, 25 hits and six home runs, but unfortunately for High Desert, the majority of those belonged to the Quakes. The key play might not have been a hit or even a home run though. With two outs in the 3rd, Kenn Kasparek threw a wild pitch on a third strike, and the inning continued. The Quakes went on to score five runs that inning including a grand slam by Angel Castillo. High Desert pulled within one, but a Mike Trout inside the park home run turned momentum back to Rancho Cucamonga for good.

Game Two: Quakes coast to second win, second round

Back at home, Rancho Cucamonga once again had a multi run 3rd inning that put them up for good. The Quakes slugged three more home runs, including a two run shot by Luis Jimenez in the pivotal 3rd inning. Gabe Jacobo and Dillon Baird later hit home runs to provide some insurance, and it was more than enough for Orangel Arenas and the Quakes' bullpen. Arenas allowed one run in five innings, and Jose Perez struck out four in two innings of relief to lead the relief effort. Rich Poythress had an at bat with the bases loaded early in the game, but the threat ended with a groundout.

The Quakes scored plenty of runs in two games, but they didn't do it with a single steal like I thought they might. Instead, they decided to bring their home run bats to the series and hit eight home runs over both games. Dillon Baird hit two and Richard Cates, who didn't hit a home run in the entire regular season, even went deep. Rancho Cucamonga scored their runs in bunches. When High Desert got within one run of the Quakes in game one, Mike Trout's inside the park home run completely shifted momentum and allowed the Quakes to pile on some more runs.

When Manny Flores was taken out of game one early as High Desert made a comeback, the outcome was still in doubt. Chris Scholl left two inherited runners on base, and pitched 2.2 IP while only allowing one run. That would be the last run the Rancho Cucamonga bullpen would allow. Nick Pugliese and Eddie McKiernan combined to throw three hitless innings to finish the first game, and McKiernan pitched the 9th in another non save situation the next night. If the Quakes can continue to use a number of different relievers to toss scoreless frames, they can survive a starter getting knocked out early.

High Desert certainly didn't hit well away from home, but in a series in which they got dominated, it's still hard to point to that as the reason they didn't win. However, the difference in offensive performance was still noticeable. After scoring five runs in game one and knocking Quakes starter Manny Flores out of the game early, the Mavericks really only had one good opportunity in game two. When Orangel Arenas got Rich Poythress to ground out with the bases loaded, High Desert missed their best chance. Poythress without a single RBI and only one hit.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, Kenn Kasparek continued to pitch the way he did down the stretch and not like the pitcher Rancho Cucamonga saw all season. He walked two batters in three innings, and his wild pitch on strike three might've been the biggest moment in the series. It was a very uncharacteristic end to the season for Kasparek who had had been great for the first half of the year and appeared to conquer High Desert. After an injury that caused him to miss a few starts, his control was never the same, and he wasn't the same pitcher. Andrew Carraway didn't appear in the series.