One night after dramatically staying alive in the 2019 California League Playoffs behind back-to-back home runs to earn a walk-off win, High-A Rancho Cucamonga was eliminated with an 11-2 loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres affiliate).
The Storm took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and rallied for five runs with two outs in the fifth against Quakes relief pitcher Jose Martinez. Rancho Cucamonga finally scratched in the sixth on Jeren Kendall’s two-run home run.
Although it came in a losing effort, that was another encouraging sign for Kendall. He struggled at the plate last season but saw improvement this year, particularly during a hot month of August.