JetHawks lose, but capture share of title

Lancaster clinched at least a tie for the South Division first-half title, despite losing to Lake Elsinore.

One night after scoring four runs in the seventh inning to rally for a win, the JetHawks were unable to clinch the California League South Division first-half title, falling 6-3 to Lake Elsinore in front of 3,879 fans at the Hangar.

With San Bernardino losing 4-0 in San Jose, the JetHawks did clinch at least a tie of the first-half division title. Lancaster holds a two-game lead with a pair of games remaining in the first half schedule.

If Lancaster can win one of the final two games, or if San Bernardino loses one of its two games, the JetHawks would capture their first divisional title in the franchise's five years in Lancaster. The JetHawks made the playoffs once in the first four years in Lancasters, going in 1998 as a wild-card team.

"I feel good going into the last two days," JetHawks manager Mark Parent said. "We are playing real good right now and I like our chances."

The JetHawks gave the fans a glimpse of a rally in the bottom of the ninth inning. Juan Silvestre went to the plate with runners at first and second inning and a chance to the tie game with one swing of the bat.

The Cal League leader in home runs with 14, hit a solo shot in the eighth inning. However, in the ninth, the Storm's Ben Grezlowski got Silvestre out on a weak grounder to shortstop.

"If I had the opportunity to pick someone to go up in that situation, (Silvestre) is the guy I would pick," Parent said. "We had the opportunity to tie the game and take our chances in extra innings."

The JetHawks had to feel good coming to game with one of their hottest pitchers getting the start.

Jeff Heaverlo had won his last two starts, including beating the Storm 8-4 on Sunday. However, Friday the right-hander struggled to keep ahead of the hitters in the count.

After getting the Storm's leadoff hitter Elpido Guzman to fly out to start the game, Heaverlo fell behind 2-0 in the count to the game's second hitter Brian Specht. After the second ball, JetHawks' pitching coach Scott Budner went to the mound in the attempt to come down Heaverlo.

However, Specht took the next pitch over the right-field fence for his first home run of the season. It was the sixth homer Heaverlo has given up this season.

After a scoreless second inning, the Storm went back to work against Heaverlo. And once again, it was Specht who was leading the way.

The Lake Elsinore shortstop tripled into the right-field corner, plating Alfredo Amezaga, who started the inning off with a single. Specht then scored on Robb Quinlan's groundout to second.

The JetHawks finally got on the board in the fourth, scoring a pair runs off Storm starter Wes Crawford. The JetHawks' No. 8 and No. 9 hitters provided the offense in the inning, as Scott Maynard and P.J. Williams both had run-scoring singles to pull Lancaster within two.

Heaverlo appeared to calm down after the two-run third inning, throwing back-to-back scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth frames. He had a pair of strikeouts in the two innings.

In the sixth, however, Heaverlo gave up singles to the first two hitters of the inning and was pulled in favor of Kenny Rayborn. After getting an out to the first hitter he faced, Rayborn gave back-to-back run-scoring hits to Noberto Lopez and Amezaga as the Strom took a 5-2 lead.

Uploaded June 17, 2000