Blazing start

Opening-night victory is packed with Peanut

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

After hitting 26 home runs in 68 games last season with the JetHawks last year, Williams got his first of 2000 in his second atbat to lead Lancaster to an opening day 4-2 win over Bakersfield before a crowd of 1,805 at Sam Lynn Field.

In the top of the third, Antonio Perez led off with his second single of the game only to be caught stealing with outfielder Juan Silvestre at the plate.

Silvestre then drew a walk to setup Williams home run, his only hit in five trips to the plate.

"I just want to go out and whatever is best for the team," Williams said. "I'm just trying to help my ball club win games.

"Whether it's home runs or doubles or whatever just to get the team a win."

On the hill for Lancaster, starter Jeff Heaverlo struckout 10 of the 21 batters he faced and surrendered only one run en route to the win.

"Heaverlo did a lot more than I expected," JetHawks manager Mark Parent said. "I didn't think he'd be that good.

"The offense did their job but the pitching was real good."

The Blaze used an infield single from designated hitter Jake Messner in the second and a single from catcher Guillermo Rodriguez to drive him in to take the early 1-0 lead.

"I had a good outing," Heaverlo said. "It really was a good day for us.

"Everything went well. We hit the ball well and the other guys came in and closed it well."

To leadoff the bottom of the eighth right fielder Brett Casper knocked a solo shot off of Lancaster reliever Denny McDaniel to pull within two runs.

Two batters later, Rodriguez struck again with a double to leftcenter field. But McDaniel closed out the inning by striking out third baseman Julio Cordido.

Heaverlo was relieved in the sixth by Julio Ayala who finished off the inning by holding the Blaze to no runs despite a pair of leadoff singles
to start the inning off Heaverlo.

Brandon Parker, a Cal League All-Star as a starter for Lancaster in 1999, closed the door on Bakersfield with a scoreless ninth. The save was Parker's first in four seasons of professional ball.

"Moving him to the pen is something the organization wants," Lancaster pitching coach Scott Budner said. "They want to try him out as a closer type and we're going to give it a go.

"It's something new for him. He hasn't done it before but I think he'll adjust well to it."

The JetHawks were able to tack on one run in each the fourth and fifth innings to give themselves the 4-1 lead.

"Stuff was falling into place for us," Parent said. "We worked hard this spring to keep our strikeouts to a minimum."

Lancaster finished with eight as a team, five of those from the eight and nine batters.

Outfielder Harvey Hargrove drove in third baseman Bo Robinson on a double in the fourth and Robinson singled in Williams in the fifth.

"I just wanted to see the ball at the plate and not do too much," Hargrove said. "I'm here to play baseball and get things done."

Second baseman Willie Bloomquist had a tough time in the field with a pair of errors.

Bloomquist also struggled at the plate with an 0-for-5 performance in the second spot in the lineup.

Perez finished 2-for-5 with a pair of singles including one to left field to start the season

"They put the ball in play and that was the key," hitting coach Dana Williams said. " We're going to keep preaching to them about getting contact on the ball."

For the second game in the three-game series Lancaster will send right-hander Chris Mears to face Vance Cozier.

Uploaded April 7, 2000