JetHawks win 6-3 in 11 innings

Just ask Hatuey Mendoza.

After holding Rancho Cucamonga hitless through 6 1/3 innings, the prodigal son of the JetHawks' starting rotation saw his seventh win of the year slip away despite Lancaster breaking a pair of ties in the ninth and tenth innings to take a 6-3 win Sunday over Rancho Cucamonga.

Lancaster won the game in the tenth, when Brian Gordon hit a bases-loaded double to deep center field which drove in three runs and prevented the Quakes from sweeping the series.

However, Mendoza was the real hero of the game for the JetHawks, keeping Rancho Cucamonga off the scoreboard through the first six innings.

"This was the best game I've ever pitched," Mendoza said. "I think I was very impressive. I pitched more aggressive and smart than any other time before."

Mendoza struck out six batters and gave up no walks in his seven innings on the mound.

His only blemish came in the seventh, when he gave up a solo home run to Scott Bikowski. Nevertheless, the JetHawks' coaching staff was still pleased by his performance.

"Hatuey was awesome for us tonight. He pitched incredible," JetHawks manager Scott Coolbaugh said. "We might have left him in a little too long but he got the job done."

Until he gave up a hit to Bienvenido Encarnacion in the seventh, Mendoza hadn't given up a hit in 10 1/3 consecutive innings, stemming back to his victory against Visalia on July 31.

In that game, the Dominican Republic prospect allowed only one hit and Mendoza has retired 40 of the last 43 batters he has faced.

"Right now I would say that I am pitching some of the best baseball of my life, but I know I can get better," Mendoza said.

Early in the game, it was pitchers duel between Mendoza and the Quakes' Philip Wilson, who maintained his own no-hitter through four innings.

Billy Martin broke that up when he hit his 23rd home run of the year to give the JetHawks the early lead.

Going into the sixth, Mendoza said the possibility of pitching his first no-hitter wasn't getting to him.

"I wasn't thinking about it too much. I was just focused on getting out batters and winning," Mendoza said.

Mendoza's hope of getting his seventh win of the season fell apart when reliever Brandon Medders gave up a first-pitch solo home run to G.J. Raymundo that tied the game 2-2 in the eighth.

Medders, however, didn't let the home run faze him, giving the JetHawks hitless pitching in the rest of his 1 2/3 innings of work.

"Brandon gave up the home run, but he pitched beautifully after that," Coolbaugh said.

Things fell apart after Medders left the game.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, Lancaster clung to a 3-2 lead thanks to Jeff Waldron's grounder up the middle that scored J.D. Closser from second base.

Lancaster reliever Greg Jacobs, however, ran into trouble early and a Rancho Cucamonga double by Jared Abruzzu scored pinch runner Tommy Murphy to tie the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.

Lancaster didn't waste time in the tenth, quickly loading the bases with help from a hit batter and a walk.

Gordon cleared the bases to give Lancaster the win.

"To be honest, I really thought J.R. Mounts (Rancho Cucamonga's center fielder) was going to catch it," Gordon said. "I knew I made good contact but I had no idea it would go that far."

The ball ricocheted off the wall after hitting the warning track and went over the head of Mounts, allowing Jaime Sykes, Martin and Jason Williams to score and effectively end the game.

"Wins are always good for us and we played very strong at times tonight," Coolbaugh said. "We stalled a few times late in the game but I blame that on the guys being a little tired at the end of this road trip."

Lancaster plays host to Visalia today.

Uploaded August 6, 2001