Modesto Nuts drop a close one at a steamy John Thurman Field

The Modesto Nuts scored a run in the first inning and then their bats wilted in the heat for the next 10 as the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes pulled out a 2-1 California League victory in the 11th inning Monday night at a sizzling John Thurman Field.

With the scoreboard at game time reading 107 degrees, the pitchers’ duel that emerged between the Nuts’ Anthony Senzatela and the Quakes’ Zack Bird seemed like a merciful attempt to return fans quickly to their air-conditioned homes.

The last thing anybody wanted was extra innings.

And when Rancho Cucamonga tied the score in the fifth – Brian Wolfe singled in Joey Curletta, who led off the inning with his second double of the night – it seemed inevitable that extra time sitting in the muggy conditions was in store.

“The humidity was bad for the first time,” said catcher Troy Stein, a native of San Antonio, Texas.

Even though the temperature dipped below 90 by the time Kyle Farmer scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul Hoenecke to give the Quakes the lead, a good number of the 894 in attendance were probably secretly pulling for RC closer Ramon Benjamin to seal the deal. He did just that, retiring the top of the order – left fielder Raimel Tapia, Patterson and McMahon – in order.

“It’s just one of those games,” said first-year Nuts manager Fred Ocasio. “The pitching was pretty good both ways.”

Troy Neiman took the loss, but came within inches of wiggling off the hook in the 11th. After a single by Farmer, the league’s leading hitter at .347, and a double by Cody Bellinger to start the inning, Neiman fanned pinch-hitter Webster Rivas for the first out.

He then induced a lazy fly ball to right off the bat of Hoenecke. In textbook fashion, Patterson fielded the ball on the move and used his momentum to uncork a strike to Stein, who applied the tag to Farmer a fraction of a second too late.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound catcher gave umpire Adrian Gonzalez a quick token argument, but later admitted, “It was so close, I’m not sure where I tagged him … or if I tagged him.”

About the only thing hotter than the temperature last night at Thurman Field was the bat of McMahon, who went 3-for-5 to raise his batting average to .318, one point behind Patterson .319 for the team lead. Since an 0-for-13 spell May 18-20 that dropped his average to .254, McMahon is 29-for-63 (.460) – a stretch of 17 games that includes a staggering 11 multi-hit games.

McMahon leads the California League in doubles (22), one ahead of Curletta, and on-base percentage (.413), percentage points ahead of Lake Elsinore’s Auston Bousfield.

Nuts center fielder Rosell Herrera had his 10-game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-4.

Senzatela pitched well enough to earn a win, scattering six hits and a walk over seven innings of work while striking out seven. Sam Moll relieved in the eighth and went two innings, fanning three while allowing one hit.

The teams will meet again Tuesday night, with temperatures expected to be nearly 20 degrees cooler at first pitch than on Monday. The series wraps up on One Buck Wednesday. Fans attending the 7:05 p.m. contest can enjoy $1 hot dogs, $1 soft drinks, $1 snacks and $1 bounce house and slide wristbands for the kids. Select beers and Jack Tone wine will be available for $2.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Modesto Nuts drop a close one at a steamy John Thurman Field."