No stopping them

JetHawks win title despite injury bug

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

The battered and bruised one?

They sweat it into the final day of the half.

With their magic number at one for an outright first-half title going into the last day of the half, the JetHawks took matters into their own hands Sunday, with a 13-6 win at home over Lake Elsinore.

The win gives Lancaster its first title in regular California League play. The Lancaster Stealth won the California Fall League crown in 1999.

The JetHawks (40-30) finish the regular season two games in front of San Bernardino, 6-1 losers at San Jose on Sunday.

The first-half title entitles the JetHawks to a first-round bye in the Cal League playoffs, and home-field advantage in the second round, to begin September 9 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

During the course of the year, the JetHawks have had several key players go down lengthy stints on the disabled list. Among them were four key starters on Sunday, shortstop Antonio Perez, second baseman Willie Bloomquist, left fielder Juan Silvestre and center fielder P.J. Williams.

"To come back and win the first half is a big thing to me," Williams said. "So many of us have been hurt, it took a lot for us to come together and win some ball games."

The injured quartet, combined to go 8-for-17 on Sunday with eight runs batted in.

"It's nice to be playing well and helping the team," Perez said in his native Spanish. "For us to win these games, is just a good, good thing."

On Sunday, manager Mark Parent had to look back at just one at-bat to see how the game went and how far his team had come.

"If you need someone to tell you what today meant, you're in trouble," Parent said. "I think the biggest thing about today, was Perez's leadoff double. After that, you could just feel the whole stadium (relax).

"We really came after them," Parent said, shaking his head in amazement.

Amazed because his team bounced back from an 18-6 shellacking at the hands of the same Lake Elsinore club, just 16 hours previous.

"Our ball club could have come out all let down after yesterday," Robinson said. "But we came out and played the way we knew we could. Honestly, I think they were a little tired from scoring all those runs on (Saturday)."

After scoring three in the opening frame, the Lancaster offense tacked on a seven spot in the fifth, courtesy of Juan Silvestre's second home run of the game, a three-run shot to left field off of reliever Chad Berryman.

In some ways though, the offense and wasn't the big story on Sunday.

Starter Josue Matos was able to even up his record to 3-3, while holding the Storm to one run, scattering nine hits over 6 innings.

Matos has been the hard luck pitcher for the JetHawks this season. In his first 12 starts, Lancaster managed just 42 runs for the Puerto Rico native.

"It's about time they scored some runs for me," Matos said with a laugh. "We're going to the playoffs, and that's really all that matters.

"The guys did a good job of helping me on defense and by scoring some runs. I kept my game plan, no matter what the score was, to just go after them at the plate and get some outs."

The team was determined to win the game from the get go, and in the process get Matos a much deserved win.

"We knew Matos was going to come out with his usual performance," Sledge said. "For once, we came out and scored runs for him.

"We felt more aggressive today and knew we had to put up some runs for him."

The day had extra meaning for Matos, as his father was in the crowd, visiting form Puerto Rico, on Father's Day.

"I enjoyed pitching in front of my dad," Matos said. "I hope I can do it again."

For other members of the squad, Sunday took on even more meaning, as several toiled with the club last year, when the team was 16 games below .500, not 10 games above.

"It's just night and day compared to last season," outfielder Harvey Hargrove said. "To be able to go out and win on a consistent basis, its great.

"We need to continue this into the second half and see where it takes us. It's nice to come out and win."

For coach Dana Williams, the impact of Sunday's game, had yet to find him.

"It'll probably hit me some time tonight, for now I just wanted to win that game," Williams said. "I played for 15 years and never got anywhere close to anything like this."

With half of season of baseball in the books, the JetHawks now have two and a half months to prepare to host a par of games the weekend of September 9-10.

"That's what you play for, to win." Robinson said. "We should have won this two days ago, but today is just as nice. Hey, we're going to the playoffs."

Uploaded June 19, 2000