Peanut blasts JetHawks to 14th in a row

Peanut Williams sparked a four-run rally with a two-run homer and Jeff Heaverlo pitched seven strong innings as Lancaster won 14 in a row.

Williams powered the JetHawks offense to a 5-1 win over Mudville with his first home run since coming off the disabled list on July 1 before a crowd of 1,586 at Billy Hebert Field.

The victory extends Lancaster's winning streak to 14 games, the longest streak in the minors this season. The streak is also the longest in the California League since High Desert posted 15 consecutive victories from August 10-25 last season.

"We're making plays when we have to and keeping with the program," Lancaster skipper Mark Parent said. "This is how you win ball games, making pitches when you have to, that's what it's all about and these guys are doing it right now."

Last year at Lancaster, Williams was the premier power hitter in the league during the second half. In 68 games with the JetHawks in 1999, he hit 26 home runs or one every 10 1/2 at-bats and was expected to be a powerful bat in the lineup for Parent this year.

Instead he struggled with bone chips in his left elbow, batting .229 heading into Friday's game. The home run was his fifth of the year and first since May 3.

"I feel like I'm finally finding my swing," Williams said. "I picked up two strikeouts and I wasn't happy about that, but I did help out my team tonight."

On the hill for Lancaster, Jeff Heaverlo (9-4) went 7 innings, giving up one run on four hits, as he racked up nine strike outs in earning his ninth win.

"He used his defense and was phenomenal tonight," Parent said. "He didn't walk anyone and stayed focus for the whole game."

In the eighth, Frank Jaramillo and Jeff Deardorff tagged Heaverlo for back-to-back hits to leadoff the inning. After he got Jason Fox to foul out for the first out, Heaverlo gave way to Omar Obando.

Obando induced quick outs from John Macalutas and John Patten to end the threat and the inning.

"It would have been nice to go out in the eighth and get ahead of those first two guys," Heaverlo said. "I was putting too much pressure on myself and I wasn't making good pitches.

"But Obando was able to come in do a great job."

In the ninth, Parent called on Allan Simpson to close out the game and he did by retiring the side in order to seal the game.

Heaverlo looked off to a rocky start when, with a 1-0 lead, Macalutas deposited a leadoff home run beyond left field to knot the game at 1-1.

The game would remain tied until the sixth when Lancaster plated four runs.

In the sixth, the JetHawks rattled off four straight one-out hits, three for extra bases including the two-run homer from Williams.

"We had some timely hits tonight and it really helped out," Parent said. "The guys ran the bases well and it was nice to see Peanut get a big hit."

Left fielder Juan Silvestre started the rally with a well-hit double to right center. A single from Freddy May and a run-scoring double from Bo Robinson followed that before Williams went yard to complete the scoring.

Uploaded July 15, 2000