Quakes finish off Visalia with homer

April 26, 2010

San Bernardino Sun
J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Jon Townsend and Tyson Auer were joking before the Quakes' game Monday against the Visalia Rawhide about forming a dogpile in case of a walk-off hit.
"We always joke about who will make the hardest contact in a dogpile," Townsend said. "Normally, it's me. Sure enough, (Auer) got me."

Townsend was happy to take a friendly beating at home plate after his home run in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Quakes to a 4-3 victory over the Rawhide in front of an announced 824 at the Epicenter.

Facing a 1-1 count against Visalia's T.J. Hose, Townsend sent a slider just off the outside corner over the left-field fence. It was the second home run of the season for Townsend and the first walk-off blast of his life.

"It's a pretty special feeling," Townsend said.

The starting pitchers, Andrew Wolcott for Visalia and Matt Shoemaker for the Quakes, seemed intent on making Monday's game a quick one. Each faced the minimum nine batters over the first three innings.

That all changed after the Quakes (10-9) scored twice in the eighth to tie the score 3-3 and send it to extra innings. Of their five victories at home this season, four have ended with walk-off hits in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings.

Not until Auer tripled in the fourth inning, and Gabe Jacobo singled him home, did the Quakes score the game's first run.

After the Rawhide broke Shoemaker's shutout with a pair of runs in the fifth inning, the Quakes couldn't regain the lead despite putting two runners in scoring position each of the next two innings.

Rian Kiniry (single, stolen base) and Angel Castillo (hit by pitch) were standing on second and third base, respectively, when Beau Brooks came to the plate against Wolcott in the fifth. The left handed-hitting Brooks worked the count full before popping out weakly against the righty Wolcott, who was then lifted for reliever Brett Moorhouse.

Moorhouse fell behind 3-1 to Alexi Amarista, but got the Quakes' best hitter to swing through a pair of high fastballs to end the inning.

Down 3-1, the Quakes finally broke through against left-handed reliever Ryan Robowski in the eighth inning.

Amarista led off with a single and Auer laid a textbook bunt down the third base line. The throw to first by Robowski wasn't as textbook - it sailed high into right field, where Tim Sherlock made an equally awful throw past second base and into left field.

Amarista scored easily and the speedy Auer made it all the way to third base on the attempted bunt. Two batters later, Jacobo singled in Auer to tie the score 3-3.

Also ...

Right-hander Pil Joon Jang joined the Quakes Monday and will get the start today. After Sunday's game, pitchers Jayson Miller and Manny Flores were promoted to Double-A Arkansas. ... The Quakes announced Monday that for every home run the team hits this season, U.S. Bank will donate $50 to the Inland Empire United Way's Kids Pack Program.

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