With Morozowski on in the ninth and two out, Marty Herum smoked a ground ball toward the five-hole, and it looked like the Rawhide would be able to extend the game and move the tying run into scoring position. But Brandon Montgomery took a quick step to his left, snared the hard hop and tossed to second to seal a 2-1 win for the Quakes.

Rancho Cucamonga (21-17) took one-run lead in the eighth inning in a bizarre sequence. Rawhide starter Justin Donatella (L, 0-6) retired Drew Jackson on a fly-out to start the frame and tie his career-high in innings pitched at seven and one-third. Then Omar Estevez blooped a double down the left field line, which ended Donatella’s day. He had allowed only one run to that point and the double was his second hit. Donatella had fanned eight batters and walked none, the latter of which he had not previously accomplished this season. Between the first and sixth innings, Donatella retired 13 consecutive Quakes hitters.

Mason McCullough was summoned from the bullpen and struck out Ibandel Isabel on three sliders, but then walked Ariel Sandoval. With Brandon Montgomery up, catcher Matt Jones suffered three passed balls, one of which brought Estavez home as the go-ahead run. McCullough struck out Erick Mejia to retire the side.

Rancho Cucamonga starter Mitchell White (W, 2-1) matched Donatella zero-for-zero on the scoreboard, taking a perfect game into the fourth inning before allowing an infield single to Sergio Alcantara. He then retired the next nine men he faced in order before Alcantara blooped a double into left field. Sandoval made a diving attempt at the ball, but it scooted under his glove and Alcantara wound up on second with a double. Two batters later, Marty Herum hit a booming double off the base of the wall in left center, mere feet away from giving the Rawhide their first lead. Alcantara came home to score and the Rawhide had tied the game up 1-1.

That was the only hit with a man on base that Visalia (19-19) managed today. White would depart after seven strong innings, allowing only three hits with eight strikeouts. Alex Hermeling (SV, 1) allowed the tying run to reach in each of his two innings, but stranded him both times and got the save. Isabel broke up Donatella’s no-hitter in the sixth with a laser of a solo home run to left, his league-leading 10th of the year.

The Rawhide will begin a three-game series against San Francisco affiliate San Jose tomorrow evening, with first pitch at 6 PM. Visalia will send right-hander Joel Payamps to the mound and the Giants will counter with the lefty Conner Menez. Tickets are still available at rawhidebaseball.com.

The post Quakes Take Nailbiter to Win Series appeared first on Valley Voice.

“I heard about 10 minutes before game time (that I was starting), so it wasn’t ideal, but I just had the mindset of going in there and doing what I do and throwing strikes,” said Long.

Long shined, going 3.2 innings while allowing only one run on four hits with four strikeouts. It wasn’t enough to pick up the win, but he gave the Rawhide exactly what they needed: a good start where the rest of the bullpen could pick up the remainder of the game. Long worked around trouble in every inning. He only put together one clean frame in the third, but was able to weave in and out of traffic on the base paths to minimize the damage. The only run he gave up was on a solo homer hit by Josh Naylor in the fourth, a blast over the left-center field wall. Long was lifted with a runner on first and two outs, and gave way to Kirby Bellow.

“We ambushed Keegan Long with the start and it was amazing what he did…. We can’t be more thankful for his appearance tonight,” said Rawhide Manager Shelley Duncan. “It’s funny, sometimes with the bullpen guys, that’s when (a good start) happens, when they don’t have time to think about it. When you ambush them like that, they can just get in their bullpen routine like a normal performance. This outing showed a lot of people what (Long) is capable of.”

Bellow (1-0) picked up right where Long had left off, getting out of the jam by inducing a groundout from Ruddy Giron. Long would end up tossing 3.1 scoreless innings in relief, striking out four and allowing only one hit. Mason McCullough gave up a run in the eighth but struck out the side to preserve the lead. Then in the ninth, Bud Jeter was called upon for the save and things got interesting.

Giron reached on a ground ball single up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch, putting the tying run in scoring position with one out. After Jeter struck out Taylor Kohlwey, he hit Chris Baker with the first pitch of the at bat, putting the go-ahead run on. Then catcher Frank Christy saw a pitch to Edwin Moreno skip out of his glove, advancing the runners on the past ball and putting the tying run 90 feet away with 1 out. But Jeter (SV, 4) struck out Moreno on a high fastball and induced a flyout from Michael Gettys to end the game.

The Rawhide put together a solid offensive night as a club, bunching hits in the third and sixth to score runs. Daniel Lockhart acted as the spark plug in the third inning with a one-out double, his third extra base hit in the last two games, and scored on a Sergio Alcantara single. Then in the sixth, Matthew McPhearson reached on a leadoff bunt single and was scored by an Alcantara triple. Alcantara would come home to score on a wild pitch, giving Visalia (10-8) their third and final run of the game.

Lake Elsinore (7-11) got another fantastic start from right-hander Chris Huffman. Huffman (1-1) went the distance in the loss, tossing eight innings and allowing three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts to pick up his first career complete game. He had entered play with 15 straight scoreless innings to start the season.

The Rawhide continue the series tomorrow evening and will send RHP Jose Almonte against Lake Elsinore’s LHP Joey Lucchesi. First pitch will be at 6:00 PM and it’ll be a Two-fer-Tuesday at the ballpark. Fans can pick up a 2-1 voucher at participating Chevron and Texaco stations and receive two tickets for the price of one when they bring it to the Rawhide Ticket Office tomorrow night. Tickets and more information are available on rawhidebaseball.com.

The post Bullpen Locks Down Nailbiting Win: Long Shines in First Career Start appeared first on Valley Voice.

Donatella would load the bases in the first before eventually working out of the jam, but fell victim to poor defense behind him in the second. A fielding error by third baseman Marty Herum on a ground ball and a throwing error by catcher Matt Jones attempting to catch Bishop stealing third allowed a further two runs to score, giving Modesto a three-run lead. Then in the third inning, after walking Joey Curletta, Nuts newcomer Joe DeCarlo roped a double down the left-field line past Herum, extending the lead to 4-0. Donatella (0-4) would pitch a scoreless frame in the fourth before exiting the game, the second straight starter that Modesto (11-6) had chased before completing fifth inning.

Nick Baker pitched three scoreless innings and the Rawhide gave one run of support before Cameron Gann took over in the eighth. The Nuts would go on to score three more off of Gann, highlighted by a two-run homer from DeCarlo, to make it a 7-1 game. Bud Jeter pitched a scoreless ninth and the Rawhide were retired quietly to make it a 7-1 final score.

Visalia (9-8) totaled four hits on the afternoon and they all belonged to Herum and Daniel Lockhart, with two apiece. Lockhart also scored the lone run of the game for the Rawhide by hitting a leadoff triple in the sixth inning and coming in on an RBI groundout off the bat of Sergio Alcantara. Nuts starter Pedro Lopez was outstanding, tossing six innings and allowing just the one run on three hits while striking out six.

Lockhart finished with a double and a triple in three trips to the plate, and Herum collected two singles for Visalia. But once again the Rawhide were unable to muster a significant rally to erase a late deficit: the Rawhide have completed only one come from behind win in the seventh inning or later this season.

The loss sent the Rawhide to their first sweep of the year and puts Visalia two games out of first place behind the Nuts. The Rawhide have won only one game in their first six contests at Rawhide Ballpark this year.

The homestand will continue tomorrow with the first Make a Difference Monday of the season when the Rawhide welcome the Lake Elsinore Storm to Visalia. All fans who bring a donation item for the Valley Oak SPCA will receive a free ticket to the Pasture seating section, with the option to upgrade for a discounted price. First pitch is at 6 PM and the probable starters are RHP Joel Paymaps (1-0, 4.80 ERA) for Visalia and RHP Chris Huffman (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for Lake Elsinore. Tickets are still available at rawhidebaseball.com.

The post Nuts Score Four Runs in First Three Innings as Rawhide Swept appeared first on Valley Voice.

And it ended up being the only run of the game.

Jeremy Rhoades was summoned from the bullpen and shut the door, retiring the Rawhide in order with a pair of strikeouts to seal the victory for Inland Empire. Rhoades (SV, 1) converted his first save opportunity of the season to give the 66ers (4-6) back-to-back victories and a series victory for the first time this season.

Rhodes had taken over for right hander Tyler Warmoth (W, 1-0), who had delivered two scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one batter to reach when he walked Matt Jones in the eighth inning.

But until the 10th inning, the starting pitching had been the story of this game. Visalia starter Trevor Simms had to work through constant stress, stranding 7 runners on base in his five innings of work. But he didn’t allow a run and struck out eight, while walking two, hitting two batters, and giving up four hits. Jake Jewell, who had started for Inland Empire, dominated over his seven innings of work, giving up just two hits while ringing up eight strikeouts and hitting one batter. Jewell, who entered the season as the Angels’ 28th ranked prospect by MLB.com, and who was ranked as high as 5th last year, put out every indication of deserving his pedigree while moving his fastball around the zone and using it to set up his breaking pitches.

Matthew McPhearson started the first inning with a bang by driving a double into the right-center field gap. But McPhearson slipped while going around first base, turning what could have been a leadoff triple into the two-bagger he ended up with. Sergio Alcantara then chopped a grounder to short and, after a hesitation, McPhearson elected to try and take third, where he was thrown out by Connor Justus.

Such was the Rawhide’s luck tonight.

Visalia (6-4) only had one other hit, a Colin Bray single in the second inning. After stealing second, Bray advanced to third on a fly ball to center off the bat of Daniel Lockhart. But he was left there. That was the last time a Rawhide baserunner would advance past first base tonight.

The 66ers had a scoring chance in the sixth inning when Cameron Gann had runners on first and second with two outs. But Rawhide Manager Shelley Duncan brought in Kirby Bellow to get a left on left matchup against Brendon Sanger. Bellow Struck out Sanger, and a total of five batters over his two and a third innings of work.

Visalia pitchers struck out 16 batters tonight, tying the club’s season high and giving them 47 over the series, and 63 over their past four games. But for the first time this year, the Rawhide lost a series.

The Rawhide have a day off tomorrow and will begin a four-game series in San Jose next Tuesday before returning home for a seven-game homestand on April 21. Tickets and more information about promotions on the next Rawhide homestand are available on rawhidebaseball.com.

The post Extra Innings Pitcher Duel Goes to Inland Empire appeared first on Valley Voice.

Shelley Duncan will take the reigns as Field Manager for the Rawhide. Duncan has served for two previous years as a Manager in the Diamondbacks organization, having spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons at the helm of the D-backs Short-Season A affiliate in Hillsboro. Duncan led the Hops to a 42-33 overall record in 2016, and a resurgent 24-13 mark in the second half of the season that culminated in the club’s third consecutive trip to the Northwest League postseason.

Duncan, 37, played in parts of seven major league seasons for the Yankees, Indians, and Rays, and enjoyed a 14 year career overall. A second round draft pick in the 2001 MLB draft, he made his big league debut in 2007 and retired following the 2014 season.

Familiar faces will also be returning to Visalia in 2017, as Pitching Coach Jeff Bajenaru and Hitting Coach Vince Harrison will serve as top instructors once again. This will be Bajenaru’s second season in Visalia, and his seventh in the Diamondbacks organization overall. He previously worked as the Pitching Coach in short-season Missoula for two seasons, where he helped guide the Osprey to a Pioneer League championship in 2015. A native of Pomona, California, Bajenaru was a 36th round selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 1999 draft. He made Major League appearances with the White Sox in 2004 and 2005, and also came up briefly with the D-backs in 2006.

Harrison will work in his second season with the Rawhide, and is entering his fourth year as an instructor in the D-backs organization. He has also served as a coach for Missoula, the Kane County Tigers, and the West Virginia Power. The 36-year-old Lexington, Kentucky, native spent parts of nine seasons in the Minor and Independent Leagues. He is the older brother of Josh Harrison (a 2014 All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates), and is the nephew of 2-time World Series champion John Shelby.

Eddie Oropesa joins Visalia as the Bench Coach for 2017. A former pitcher hailing from Cuba, Oropesa spent four years at the Major League level with the Phillies, D-backs, and Padres as part of a 16 year professional career that spanned visits to the Mexican League, Independent baseball, and Minor League stops with seven organizations. Oropesa spent the 2016 season as a bench coach with the AA Mobile Bay Bears and worked in 2012 and 2013 as a Coach/Interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Yasiel Puig.

Chris Schepel, and Mike Locastro will round out the Rawhide Coaching Staff in 2017 as the Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach respectively. Both will be in their first year with Visalia.

The Rawhide will seek a fifth consecutive playoff appearance in 2017 after advancing to the California League Finals last year.

“We look forward to welcoming Shelley as the Manager of the Rawhide and to continuing the recent success we’ve seen on the field,” said club General Manager Jennifer Pendergraft. “We’re excited for the rest of great staff that has been put together as well. We’re proud to be celebrating our 11th season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been a great partner to both the Rawhide and to the Visalia Community.

2017 marks the 71st year of baseball in Visalia at Recreation Ballpark. The Rawhide will open their season on April 4th, and will host their home opener on April 13th against the Inland Empire 66ers. For tickets and more information, visit Rawhidebaseball.com or call 559-732-4433.

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