The first (and last) time I was at The Epicenter in 2005 I saw Andy Sonnanstine dominate for the Visalia Oaks. In this game, Rancho's Tommy Mendoza came close to one-upping him as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before allowing a 2-out, 2-run homer to Greg Halman. He'd end up going a full 7 before two relievers finished off a 6-5 Quakes win. Rancho was aided by 2 RBIs apiece from Anthony Norman and P.J. Phillips while Halman had 2 of the 3 hits on the day for the Mavericks.

Working in such a nice stadium is a lot of fun. Nothing against places like Visalia or Bakersfield, but they're simply not equipped the same because of how old they are. To Visalia's credit they're in the middle of renovations but I'll have to see if they allow for any field access or not. Like I said before, Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga have what I believe are the two best ballparks in the California League and I think the photos help show it. On another 100-degree day, the shade I was able to take advantage of in the dugouts helped beat the heat a lot.

You'll see a lot of non-action shots because they're easier to get and use later on for player pages and such on Scout.com, but I ended up posting a few more shots than usual here. Part of it was for the stadium itself but there are a few from the Maury Wills appearance as well. He threw out one of the first pitches and looked pretty good for 75 years young. As an aside, I also love Rancho's uniforms. I think they're among the best in the minors.

A sample:

5/18/08: High Desert Mavericks at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes