JetHawks, Quakes work late into night

Antonio Perez accounted for both JetHawks runs with solo homers in the first and last innings.

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff writer

The teams battled for 14 innings and Lancaster came out on top after shortstop Antonio Perez launched his second home run of the game, a walkoff solo shot to right center for a 2-1 win.

The win kept Lancaster (34-26) tied atop the Cal League South Division, with San Bernardino, a 10-0 winner over Mudville.

The contest tied a JetHawks franchise record for longest game. It was played before a crowd of 2,037 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, of which about 70 diehards stayed to the end.

Cody Morrison (5-3) earned his fifth win of the year after pitching the final two innings.

Rancho's (30-31) Jason Shiell and Lancaster's Josue Matos gave up a first-inning run each, after which the pair found their respective grooves on the mound.

In the top of the first, Matos looked rough as he gave up three hits, including a run-scoring double to Graham Koonce.

He settled down to give up two hits the rest of the way, before being pulled to start the eighth with the score tied at 1-1.

For the fifth straight start, Matos did not earn a win, despite not giving up more than four runs in any of the starts.

On Thursday he tied a Lancaster season high with 10 strikeouts, matching Jeff Heaverlo's mark from opening day.

His opposite number, Shiell, had an equally impressive go on Thursday.

In the first inning, Perez took equal parts fisted pop-up and 40miles per hour wind to come up with his second home run of the season and first of the game. It was a solo shot to right center, all since returning from the disabled list last week.

Shiell followed by retiring the side in order, in four of the next six innings. At one point in the game, Shiell set down 15 straight JetHawks batters.

He racked up six strikeouts of his own and was also left out of the decision. He got the hook after seven innings.

In the ninth, Shiell's replacement, Clayton Condrey, nearly threw the game away.

Bo Robinson started it off with a single to center and was quickly substituted for by the speedy Robert Gandolfo.

Gandolfo, though, could get no further than third as Craig Kuzmic, Harvey Hargrove and Travis McClendon went down in order to follow Robinson.

In the eighth, Condrey looked equally shaky, coughing up a twoout hit to Perez, that the JetHawks failed to capitalize on.

The Quakes also threatened to score in the ninth after Koonce led off the inning with a single to left.

Koonce advanced to second on a high chopper from Al Benjamin and was puled out for pinch-runner Jason Dunaway. Dunaway got to third on a groundout by Josh Loggins, but no further as Darren Bush struck out to end the inning and the threat.

Matos' relief, Allan Simpson, pitched very effectively for Lancaster for three innings. Simpson did not give up a run and struck out the side in the 10th before being pulled in favor of closer Brandon Parker, who was used despite the lack of a save situation.

Parker also looked solid, setting the Quakes' two, three and four batters down in order.

In the 11th, the JetHawks loaded the bases on a single by Gandolfo, walk by Hargrove and a single by McClendon to load the bases with two outs, only to have Guillermo Martinez go down swinging to end the 11th.

Uploaded June 9, 2000