By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
MODESTO - Steamy John Thurman Field hardly looked like the perfect place to build a snowman Tuesday night.
Especially two snowmen.
The Lancaster JetHawks and Modesto A's took turns scoring eight runs apiece in a marathon fourth inning in front of 663.
Modesto eventually used a two-run single by Emil Brown that highlighted a four-run eighth to beat the shocked JetHawks 13-10.
Lancaster (16-17) dropped their second in a row, while the Northern Division-leading A's improved to 22-12.
"I don't know the last time I saw a team put up an eight-spot and saw the other team counter with one," JetHawks manager Dave Brundage said. "In that fourth inning, we had ourselves a ballgame."
The JetHawks, after being retired in order in the first three innings, exploded for eight runs in the top of the fourth.
The A's simply matched them, roaring back with eight runs of their own to tie the game.
In addition to all the runs, both teams combined for 12 hits (Lancaster had eight), four of which were home runs, two by each team.
Neither starter made it out of the fourth. Modesto's Bill King, a California League All-Star who came into the game with an 11-2 record, was ejected by home plate umpire Mike Fichter after he hit Shane Monahan with a pitch.
Monahan, who drove in the winning run against the A's in the teams' last meeting back on May 26 and then gestured toward Modesto manager Jim Colborn afterward, started the fourth with a lead-off home run.
King also gave up a three-run homer to James Clifford in the midst of the JetHawks' at-bat; all eight runs he gave up were earned.
Then it was Trey Moore's turn to meltdown.
Moore gave up two hits through the first three innings and had gotten out of a bases-loaded situation with no runs in the third.
But he couldn't protect an 8-0 lead. And although only three runs were earned, Moore hurt himself with three walks in the A's rally.
An error by third baseman Carlos Villalobos, his 35th of the season, gave the A's their first baserunner after Moore had gotten one out.
Three batters later, Dave Newhan, who would later give the A's a lead with his second homer in as many at-bats, hit a three-run homer to center that made it 8-4.
Another error by the JetHawks, this time by the usually reliable Jason Cook at shortstop, extended the inning.
After Moore walked Jose Castro to put two runners on, he gave up his second three-run homer of the inning, this time to catcher Danny Ardoin.
Moore left after giving up a game-tying double to Derrick White.
By the time Lancaster reliever Eric Clifford struck out Mike Neill for the inning's final out, an hour and five minutes had passed since Monahan led off the fourth.
Four pitchers combined to throw 95 pitches in the fourth.
The A's took a 9-8 lead against Clifford in the fifth on Newhan's 16th homer, but the JetHawks came right back with a run in the top of the sixth on Cook's RBI single to tie the game at nine.
Villalobos atoned for his error in the fourth with an RBI groundout in the seventh that scored Scott Smith and gave the JetHawks a 10-9 lead.
But if the JetHawks couldn't hold an eight-run lead, could one run be enough?
Chad Soden, making his third appearance with the JetHawks, gave up a lead-off double to Gary Hust to start the bottom of the seventh, and Soden walked Newhan with one out to put the potential winning run at first.
But Soden came back to induce No. 9 hitter Wilfredo Ventura to hit a ground ball right back to him and he started an inning-ending double play.
Soden wasn't as good in the eighth, as he walked Castro and gave up a bunt single to Ardoin to touch off the A's winning rally.