JetHawks rally to beat Bakersfield

Juan Silvestre's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning propelled Lancaster of a win over Bakersfield and a 2-1 series win to open the 2000 season.

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

He made good on the Mariners' confidence in him with a two-run home run off Blaze reliever Jason Bullard in the top of the ninth to tie Saturday's game with Bakersfield at 4-4.

Not long after that, Juan Silvestre popped his second home run in as many nights with one on and Lancaster held on for an 8-5 victory Saturday night at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

After Maynard's blast, shortstop Vaughn Schill followed with a single and later scored on second baseman Willie Bloomquist's first hit of the year to go ahead 5-4.

Three batters later, Silvestre delivered the dramatics to give the JetHawks their first series victory of the season.

While Lancaster was busy celebrating its victory, Bakersfield first baseman Jeremy Luster could have celebrated something else.

He was the only Blaze batter to have Lancaster starter Melqui Torres number.

With one out and no one on, Luster hit a shot off of Torres over the 20-foot high fence in left-center to chase Torres from the game in the sixth inning. Luster also singled in the second off of Torres and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Carlos Valderrama.

Torres looked strong in the first, opening up the bottom half by retiring the side in order, striking both Nelson Castro and Brett Casper.

He also settled down to repeat that feat in the third and fourth innings. In the third he again retired the Blaze's one, two and three batters in the order.

The top of Bakersfield's order struggled at the plate with Castro, Scoop McDowell and Casper finishing a combined 0-for-12 with three strikeouts.

Bakersfield starter Bill Malloy looked extremely poised after setting down the JetHawks in order in the top of the first.

But Peanut Williams brought Malloy back to reality, smashing his second homer of the still-young season. After hitting homers at the excitable rate of one every 10.5 atbats, Williams already has two in his first 11 trips to the plate.

Lancaster rallies in ninth for win they would hold for all of a half an inning.

In the bottom of the second, the Blaze tagged Torres for a pair of runs behind back-to-back singles from Casper and Guillermo Rodriguez to make it 2-1.

The JetHawks, however, were able to end the near-disastrous second in style. With runners on the corners, Schill - filling in on Antonio Perez's off day - made a leaping stab at a line drive from Pernalete and threw to double-up Julio Cordido at first.

In the top of the third, manager Mark Parent's JetHawks used a leadoff walk by Schill, a single from Harvey Hargrove and a sacrifice fly from Williams to tie the game at 2-2.

Malloy left the game for Bakersfield after just four innings of work with the score tied at two. Malloy did not receive a decision in the contest.

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth, a pair of errors - attributed to the JetHawks' middle infield - led to Bakersfield breaking a 2-2 tie and taking a 3-2 lead.

Schill booted a grounder from Valderrama to leadoff the inning. After a stolen base, Valderrama came around to score on Bloomquist's errant throw to first on a grounder by Marco Pernalete.

Lancaster struggled to touch Bakersfield reliever Zach Wells, who came in in relief of Malloy.

Wells faced just 11 batters in three innings of work. Only Schill and Bloomquist reached base - both on walks.

Tom Miller relieved Wells in the eighth. After giving up a oneout single to Silvestre, Miller got Williams to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Uploaded April 10, 2000