A rainout Thursday postponed the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2017 season opener against the Stockton Ports. That set the stage for a doubleheader at Banner Island Ballpark on Friday, which ended with the Quakes throwing the first no-hitter in their 25-year history.
Minor League rules mandate games of a doubleheader go seven innings instead of the traditional nine frames. In the first contest, Ports pitchers Brett Graves and Joey Wagman combined to take a perfect game into the seventh inning.
Graves turned in four spotless innings and had five strikeouts. An Omar Estevez one-out base hit prevented the Quakes from being on the wrong side of history. Wagman nonetheless completed a third scoreless inning in relief, and the Quakes fell to the Ports, 2-0.
The tables were flipped in the second game of the doubleheader. Ibandel Isabel slugged a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Quakes an early lead. Isabel hit a second two-run homer in the third inning.
Mitchell White, selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2016 Draft, was essentially spotless through three innings. The Ports’ lone baserunner to that point reached with one out in the second inning via an Isabel error.
White issued three walks in the fourth, but got out of the inning unscathed by inducing a double play and collecting his fifth strikeout of the game. White gave way to Alex Hermeling, who struck out one over three perfect innings to complete history for the Quakes.
For White, he’s not allowed an earned run in 26 innings and has 35 strikeouts in 12 games (seven starts) since beginning his professional career last year. White has pitched for the Arizona League Dodgers, Low-A Great Lakes and the Quakes.
