Silvestre wins HR crown

Although out with a sore shoulder, Lancaster's Terrmel Sledge wrapped up the Cal League batting title.

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff Writer

Sunday night at San Bernardino Municipal Stadium, Silvestre did both in the final regular-season game for both teams as Lancaster rolled to victory 14-8 before a crowd of 4,022.

"I was happy because we didn't come out for the last game and go through the motions," manager Mark Parent said. "We hit and ran. We were aggressive on the bases. We did a lot of things right."

In the seventh inning, off Stampede (39-31, 78-62) reliever Christian Bridenbaugh, Silvestre connected on a shot to right field that fell about 450 feet from home plate, giving him 30 - one more than Ludwick, who went homerless Sunday.

"He gave me the pitch middle-in, a changeup" Silvestre said. "That's where I want it to turn on it."

Silvestre's 30 home runs establishes a new team record. Lancaster (89-51) teammate Peanut Williams set the old record last year with 26.

"It's been good for him and it's been great for the organization," Mariners director of player development Benny Looper said. "He should advance to double-A next year and once you get to that level you never know what'll happen, you're so close to the top."

Last season, Silvestre was solid for Class-A Wisconsin, hitting .288 with 21 homers and 107 RBI. This year, Silvestre drove in 137 runs and hit .304 to boot.

"You never anticipate any of your players having a year like that," Looper said. "He needs to move on and hit against better pitching. He had a real good first half in Wisconsin and then tailed off in the second half.

"We looked to see if he would repeat that this year, but obviously he didn't."

On Wednesday, Silvestre was named the league's most valuable player, the first JetHawk to earn that distinction.

"I didn't want to think about hitting the homers," Silvestre said. "I was more worried about hitting .300."

With a hitless final game (0-for4), Silvestre would have finished at .298. Instead he went 3-for-4 to finish at .304.

"This has been my best year," Silvestre said. "I'm just trying to go out and do my job everyday and get better."

Williams blasted a two-run homer in the seventh inning Sunday, the eighth in his injuryplagued year. Wilfredo Quintana hit his second homer of the game, giving him six on the year in 33 games.

As a team, the JetHawks finished near the top with 119 home runs and hit a league-high .288.

And although he was home with a sore shoulder, Terrmel Sledge wrapped up the batting title at .339.

"We wanted to win today and we wanted to hit well," Parent said.

Caleb Balbuena (3-1) earned the win for Lancaster in relief of starter Jeff Heaverlo, who went three innings on three day's rest.

The Stampede open play Tuesday in the Cal League playoffs against Lake Elsinore in a best-ofthree series. The winner of that series travels to Lancaster on Friday for the start of a best-of-five series.

The win Sunday gives the JetHawks a 13-7 advantage in the season series over the Stampede and they took the season series against the Storm 14-6.

Game notes

JetHawks backup catcher Travis McClendon was in Las Vegas with his wife, who gave birth to a 6-pound, 10-ounce baby girl and missed Sunday's game.

With two home runs Sunday, Quintana has had two multi-home run games in the last week.

Uploaded September 4, 2000