Blaze burns Lancaster again

Bakersfield beat Lancaster for the fifth time in their last six meetings with a grand slam

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

Thursday night, the Blaze, powered by a grand slam from Brett Casper, took a 7-4 win over Lancaster, to the dismay of 4,009 fans at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

In its last two series with Bakersfield (28-21), one at the Hangar and one at Sam Lynn Ball Park, Lancaster (34-14) has taken one of the six games, including a three-game sweep of the JetHawks at Bakersfield one week ago.

"If you look at their abilities," Lancaster manager Mark Parent said of the Blaze, "you don't see a whole lot. But they go about the game the right way and (Blaze manager Lenn) Sakata has them playing hard and playing well."

The JetHawks came out of the blocks quick with a three-run first off Bakersfield starter Vance Cozier.

Shortstop Antonio Perez, back in the lineup after a night off, led off the first off with a double to right and cruised home after Cozier loaded the bases with back-toback walks and uncorked a wild pitch.

Bo Robinson knocked in Robert Gandolfo and Freddie May drove in Craig Kuzmic on a fielder's choice to give Lancaster a 3-0 lead after one.

"We scored early because we were patient at the plate," Parent said. "After that, we swung at every ball that came up there."

After those two hits, Lancaster would muster two more for the remainder of the game, both in the bottom of the ninth.

In the ninth, the JetHawks made a vain attempt at a comeback, scoring once but still falling short.

"We've had many times where we came out like gangbusters in the first inning and then that was it," Parent said.

Cozier looked out of sorts with that rough first inning but settled down to even his record at 7-7, lasting six innings with five walks and three strikeouts.

"I like that guy," Parent said of Cozier. "His numbers aren't great... but he's not afraid to protect the plate and go after guys."

Mears cruised through the first two innings, facing seven batters and racking up three strikeouts.

He started the third by serving up a home run to Guillermo Rodriguez and it was mostly downhill for him from there.

He gave up two more runs in the inning, on a sacrifice fly by Julio Cordido and a run-scoring single by Jeremy Luster.

"When he gives up runs," Lancaster pitching coach Scott Budner said, "he does it in clumps. He then starts to pitch up in the strike zone and when he's up there, it's not going to work."

Mears rebounded in the fourth, retiring the side in order for the second time in the game.

In the fifth, he picked up one out before leaving the game but not before Casper blasted his grand slam to right center, setting the Blaze up with a four-run lead.

"I've got to be able to see if he can work himself out of innings," Parent said. "We left him out there to see if he could work out of it.

"Sometimes he's out there going after guys, changing speeds, in and off the plate. And there are other times like tonight where there's just no consistency.

Aaron Looper followed Mears to the hill and went 1 2/3 innings scoreless before giving way to Omar Obando, who went two scoreless.

Denny McDaniel closed out the top of the ninth, giving up a hit but not surrendering a run for the JetHawks.

Uploaded August 11, 2000