By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
VISALIA - James Clifford hates facing left-handed pitchers, but apparently he likes hitting against Visalia on the road.
So Clifford faced a quandary as he stepped into the batter's box against the Oaks' Makoto Ito, a left-hander who was trying to protect a one-run lead
But after fouling off a pitch, Clifford didn't have a problem drilling a hanging curve ball from Ito over the right-field fence to highlight the JetHawks' 8-4 victory over the Oaks Saturday night at Recreation Park.
Thanks to Clifford's seventh-inning homer, Lancaster (20-23) won its third game in a row in an attempt to climb back into the California League's Southern Division playoff race. The Oaks dropped to 14-28.
The left-handed hitting Clifford improved his average at Recreation Park to .313 this season with his 16th homer of the year. Four of his five hits at Visalia are for extra bases (two homers, a double and a triple).
"I faced (Ito) before at our place and hit a double," Clifford said. "I knew he was going to throw me that slider, or `slurve' again. Before I went up I knew I was going to get it."
Lancaster's Trey Moore (4-4) struck out nine in six innings to get his first win since July 5.
"(Moore) basically challenged them all night, and that's what I like," Lancaster manager Dave Brundage said. "When he made his pitches, for the most part he was effective."
The JetHawks were also strong in the field.
Left fielder Scott Smith threw out Del Marine at home to end the sixth after the Oaks had already scored a run, and Shane Monahan had a diving catch in the seventh.
The JetHawks also turned two double plays.
"We're going to need our pitching and our defense," Brundage said.
Steve Lackey's one-out solo homer in the first gave the Oaks a 1-0 lead.
The JetHawks tied the game in the third when Dusty Wathan led off with a single and went to third on Mike Lanza's second double in the series.
Monahan picked up his 85th RBI of the season when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Wathan.
Visalia starter Jason Jordan, plagued by control problems in the game, then walked Jason Cook and one out later, grazed Smith on the left hand with a pitch.
Lancaster couldn't take advantage, though, as Clifford grounded out to first with the bases loaded.
But the JetHawks didn't leave anybody on base in the fourth as they took a 3-2 lead after the Oaks had taken a 2-1 lead in the third on Lackey's RBI single.
Chris Dean led off with a single and went to second on a groundout. Wathan doubled to left-center field to drive in Dean with the tying run.
Wathan moved to third on a passed ball and then scored on Lanza's sacrifice fly.
Jordan would have fared worse if not for the deep center field at Recreation Park. Monahan drilled a 1-2 pitch about 400 feet to the deepest part of the park, but his drive was caught by Lonny Landry at the warning track.
The JetHawks took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on Dean's two-out single that scored Cook.
But Dean tried to take second on his hit to right field and was thrown out.
The Oaks carried over that momentum into the bottom of the inning, tying the game against Moore.
Moore walked David Roberts to lead off the half-inning and then gave up a double to - who else? - Lackey to the gap in left-center that scored Roberts from first.
With two outs, Eric Danapilis had an RBI single to score Lackey and the game was tied at four.
A crucial error in the sixth allowed the JetHawks to take a 5-4 lead.
Lead-off hitter Doug Carroll singled and went to second on Wathan's sacrifice bunt.
Lanza then hit a grounder to Lackey at shortstop, who let the ball go right between his legs. Lanza hustled around first, and as the throw went late to second, Carroll scored.
That was all for Jordan, who threw 118 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up six hits, walked three, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch.
The JetHawks finish their series against the Oaks tonight with a 6:05 p.m. game. Marino Santana (7-12, 4.69 ERA) will face Gary Goldsmith (8-7, 5.13). Lancaster starts a three-game series at Stockton on Monday.