JetHawks' 22-game streak is history

Lancaster's 22-game winning streak at The Hangar was snapped by Bakersfield on Wednesday.

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

But it wasn't the Blaze the JetHawks couldn't overcome, it was base umpire Chris Hamburg.

Hamburg blew a call in the seventh and tossed manager Mark Parent as the JetHawks fell 4-3 to the visiting Blaze before a crowd of 2,298 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

"This is the same thing we see with this (umpiring) crew every time," Parent said after the game. "(Hamburg's) tossed me out three times and it's always in a big situation."

The JetHawks (34-13, 74-43) looked ready to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh after shortstop Robert Gandolfo led off with a line-drive single off the body of his opposite number, Bakersfield's (27-21) Marco Pernalete.

Designated hitter Freddy May followed with a sharp ground ball off the mound that Pernalete fielded, appeared to miss Gandolfo sliding into second and threw out May at first.

But Hamburg called Gandolfo out at second, giving the Blaze a crucial double play.

"It's a crucial play and I know he didn't tag me and he knows he didn't tag me," Gandolfo said of the play. "He went back to the bag laughing.

"That changes the whole aspect of the game. But what are you going to do? We've got another game (today)."

The call infuriated Parent and ultimately led to his ejection after a heated argument with Hamburg over the call.

"He missed him by two feet," Parent said. "I don't think he's looking to throw me out, I just get tired of his ineptness and I go off on him."

Craig Kuzmic followed the play by striking out to end the inning. Lancaster would have just one more baserunner over the final two innings.

"I wasn't disappointed in the way the game went," Parent said. "I thought we did a lot of things right at the plate and in the field."

The Blaze touched Lancaster relievers Neil Longo and Cody Morrison for two runs in the top of the sixth to take a 4-1 lead.

The JetHawks came up with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game a one-run affair.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Lancaster got back-to-back runscoring singles from Harvey Hargrove and catcher Scott Maynard to set the score at 4-3.

Parent rolled out newest JetHawk, Justin Smith, for the start on Wednesday, his first at any level above Rookie ball this season.

Smith started the game with a 45-pitch count and retired the side in order in the first two innings.

He finally hit trouble in the third, loading the bases on two walks and single and no outs for the Blaze.

Smith rebounded with back-toback strikeouts and was relieved by Aaron Looper with two outs in the inning.

Looper got Bakersfield second baseman Ryan Luther to pop out for the third out but not before he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Kevin Tommasini and, when Looper couldn't handle catcher Travis McLendon's throw home, Guillermo Rodriguez to score.

"Up to that point, (Smith) had pitched very well," Parent said. "He hadn't been extended all year long. I was very impressed with how he threw those first two innings."

Lancaster responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning on Wilfredo Quintana's leadoff single.

Quintana reached on the single, stole second, moved to third on an errant throw from Rodriguez on the steal and scored on a groundout to short by Gandolfo.

Uploaded August 10, 2000