Newark Scores Late to Edge Boulders, 6-4

Quentin Davis and Juan Martinez had three hits apiece to lead the Newark Bears to a 6-4 victory over the Rockland Boulders Wednesday afternoon in front of a lively Education Day crowd of 5,089 at Provident Bank Park in Pomona.

After , the rallied from a three-run deficit to tie the game twice, but the visitors pushed across a pair in the top of the ninth to snag the decision.

Newark got off to a quick start with a run in each of the first three innings off Rockland starter Jonathan Velasquez. Davis led off the affair with a double and scored on a Daryle Ward ground out. Courtney Billlingslea increased the margin with a solo homer in the second. The Bears once again threatened in the third, loading the bases before Davis scored on a double-play grounder by Burt Reynolds.

Rockland answered with one in the third on a Qualon Millender single, stolen base, and an RBI single by Cole Kraft. They deadlocked the game quickly in the fourth as Ryan Mollica doubled in Ryan Scoma and came around himself on Glen Johnson’s game-tying single off Bears starter Mike Ness.

Velasquez kept Newark off the board until the sixth, when he again loaded the bases with Bears with none out. Matt Tomczyk grounded into a double-play to put his team ahead, and they were unable to do any further damage. Rockland would again battle back to tie the score, recording a run off reliever Matt Fitton in the seventh. Millender’s speed was again a factor as he walked, stole second and came in on a Keith Brachold double.

The Boulders threatened to jump in front for the first time in the eighth as Todd Gossage led off with a double but was stranded on third. Newark jumped ahead for good in the ninth off Rockland’s Dan Jurik, who walked Bryce Lane with the bags jammed  before yielding a sac fly to Billingslea to provide the final tally.

Jurik, who earned a big save in Rockland’s victory in Quebec on Sunday, fell to 0-1 with the loss, with Anthony Pluta taking the win in relief for Newark. Jorge Vasquez worked a perfect final frame to take home the save. Brachold, Scoma, and Gossage had two hits each for the Boulders, who were outhit by a 14-10 margin.