High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes routed the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres affiliate), 11-3 at LoanMart Field, to clinch a berth to the California League playoffs. The trip to the postseason is a third straight for the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate.
The Quakes fell behind, 1-0, in the first but responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead. After the Storm pulled even in the second, the Quakes again answered, with a seven-run inning putting them ahead for good.
Logan Allen hit a two-run homer in the first inning, while Brandon Montgomery and Luke Raley each hit a two-run triple in the second, Quincy Lattimore contributed with an RBI single and Ibandel Isabel added a two-run double before the Storm could get out of the inning.
Raley hit an RBI double in the third and drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. He finished the night with a game-high three RBI, while Isabel and California League 2017 MVP D.J. Peters collected two apiece.
Quakes right-hander Caleb Ferguson, who was named to the Cal League Postseason All-Star team, improved to 9-4 this season as he allowed just one run over five innings. Ferguson struck out seven and walked just one batter.
The Quakes are currently one game ahead of the Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado Rockies) in the South Division standings. The JetHawks finished in first place during the first half of the season, and thus will have home-field advantage in a best-of-five series with the Quakes.
Rancho Cucamonga won the Cal League championship in 2015 for a second time in franchise history, but were eliminated by Lancaster last year despite having home-field advantage.
