By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
MODESTO - It wasn't an appealing prospect coming in, Lancaster's Marino Santana pitching at John Thurman Field.
And for five innings, the pitcher who had given up the California League's third-most home runs hadn't seen any balls fly out of the smallest field in the league.
Until the sixth.
Modesto, on pace to set the league record for homers in a season, notched two more against Santana in a four-run rally that erased a two-run Lancaster lead.
The A's went on to win 9-4.
Emil Brown led off the sixth with his seventh homer of the season, and Gary Hust, a powerful right-handed hitter who had 27 homers last year at Modesto, drove a three-run homer over the left-field fence, which is just 300 feet down the line.
The deepest point at Thurman Field is 370 feet to center field, about 30 feet shorter than every other Cal League field.
Hust's first homer in three games since being demoted from Class AA Huntsville gave the A's a 6-4 lead and was the 20th home run Santana has given up this year.
Santana is three homers behind High Desert's Matt Marenghi, the league leader.
He breezed through the first two innings, striking out five of the first six A's hitters, and didn't give up a hit until the fourth.
But Santana walked Gary Hust to lead off the bottom of the third, and David Slemmer, playing in his first game for Modesto since being promoted from Southern Oregon of the rookie-level Northwest League, sacrificed Hust to second.
Santana walked Juan Castro, and David Newhan hit a grounder to first baseman James Clifford.
Clifford went to second to force Castro, but shortstop Mike Lanza's throw to first was wild, allowing Hust to score.
The JetHawks scored three unearned runs against Modesto starter Carl Dale in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
Scott Smith led off by reaching the same way he had in the first - on an error by the shortstop Castro.
After Dale came back to strike out Clifford, Chris Dean singled and both runners moved up on a double steal.
Dale almost got out of the jam when he got Doug Carroll to pop out, but Scot Sealy came through with a two-out single through the right side that scored two.
Sealy moved up to second on the throw home, and Josh Watts picked an opportune time to get his first hit since joining the JetHawks last week - he drove home Sealy with a single up the middle.
The A's cut the lead to one run, 3-2, in the fifth in almost the same exact way they scored their first run.
Hust walked to lead off, and Slemmer fouled off five-straight pitches against Santana before walking.
Newhan hit a grounder to Clifford, who dropped the ball and then threw late and off the mark to Santana covering first. The ball rolled into foul territory while Hust scored.
Back came Lancaster with a run to make it 4-2 - and even this one was ugly.
Chris Dean doubled into the right-center field gap to lead off, and he went to third on a wild pitch by Dale.
Dale then uncorked his second wild pitch, allowing Dean to score.
But Santana was replaced after Modesto's rally in the sixth. He struck out nine with his usual mix of off-speed pitches, but also walked five and hit a batter.