Boulders Fall to Newark, 3-2, in 12 Innings

D'Angelo Jimenez hit a go-ahead solo home run off reliever Chris Rubio in the top of the 12th inning to push the Newark Bears past Rockland, 3-2, Thursday evening at Provident Bank Park in Pomona.

Jimenez's homer over the right field fence, his second of the season,
ended a game that lasted nearly four hours. Both starters pitched
well, but neither factored in the decision. Jon Velasquez, working on
three-days rest, pitched into the seventh inning, allowing two runs
(one earned) on three hits. Meanwhile, Mike Ness threw a gem for
Newark, going the first nine innings and surrendering only two earned
runs.

Rockland got the scoring underway in the bottom of the first on Keith
Brachold's league-leading 24th home run of the season. The Bears tied
the game, however, in the the top of the third. James Roche reached on
a two-base error to lead-off the frame, moved to third on a fly ball,
then scored on a ground out.

In the fifth, Roche led off with a triple, then scored on another
ground out. Rockland battled back though, tying the game in the sixth
on a Phil Cuadrado solo shot, his ninth of the year.

Neither team scored a run in any of the next five innings, as each
squad squandered opportunities and left runners on base. Garrett
Johnson, Julio Santana, and Adrian Martin combined for 4.1 innings of
scoreless relief for Rockland.

But with two outs and nobody on in the 12th, Jimenez broke the tie and
sent the Boulders (33-28) to their second-straight loss. Rockland is
now four games behind New Jersey for second-place in the Can-Am
League.

Caleb Cuevas (1-5) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win for
the Bears and Jorge Vasquez picked up his 12th save of the season.

The Boulders open a three-game weekend series tonight against the
Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association, as Pat Moran takes
the hill for the Boulders.