By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
STOCKTON - Now the Lancaster JetHawks look like a team that wants to make the playoffs.
After a month of hovering around .500 and letting the leaders of the California League's Southern Divi sion move five games ahead of them, the JetHawks looked like the dominant team of April in a 6-3 win over Stockton on Monday night.
"Tonight we got an abundance of everything," JetHawks manager Dave Brundage said. "It was a game where people picked each other up."
With the exception of two errors and being out-hit 12-11, Lancaster (21-24 in the second half, 57-58 overall) did almost everything right in their first game at Billy Hebert Field since May 16.
They used the home run, something that has been missing in their offense lately.
Jesus Marquez, who said he had trouble seeing the ball in batting practice (the sun bears right on the hitters in the late afternoon at Hebert Field), watched his first-inning drive to right field go over the fence, and the Jethawks led 1-0.
The JetHawks also made the clutch hit. Lancaster has been in last place in the Southern Division for much of the second half, and if they are going to make a playoff run, they need to drive in runners in scoring position.
Dusty Wathan delivered in the fourth. With Chris Dean at third and two out, Wathan hit an 0-2 pitch back through the middle to give the JetHawks a 2-0 lead.
Wathan went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .272.
"It's put-up or shut-up time right now," Wathan said. "I'm just feeling comfortable at the plate."
And the JetHawks were able to beat Stockton's Scott Gardner for the first time this year.
The JetHawks hit .217 against Gardner (8-6) in his first two outings against them, but they had eight hits off him in 5 2/3 innings Monday.
Lancaster received a strong pitching performance from starter Ken Cloude, who tied San Jose's Darin Blood for the league lead in wins, improving to 13-4.
Cloude gave up two runs, both unearned, in seven innings.
The ball does not carry very well as soon as the sun goes down at Billy Hebert Field, and Cloude needed almost every inch of the outfield in the middle innings.
Three times a Ports batter hit a long fly ball that was caught on the warning track.
Cloude also was not overpowering. He did not strike out a batter until Toby Kominek leading off the fifth.
But Cloude was toughest when Stockton had men on base, which was often. The Ports had baserunners in five of the first six innings, including two in the third and sixth.
Cloude fought back and showed why he is one of the better pitchers in the Cal League in the sixth.
Drew Williams led off with a single. Then Cloude got Mike Rennhack (.326 batting average) to pop out to shortstop.
Cloude pitched carefully to former USC standout Geoff Jenkins, walking the 1995 first-round draft choice on five pitches.
Alex Andreopoulos came up and popped out to third base for the second out. Then Cloude got Danny Klassen to pop out to first base, ending the inning.
"That was huge," Cloude said. "I got in trouble a lot of times. But when they hit the ball hard, it was usually at somebody."
The Ports finally broke through in the seventh when Scott Krause hit a run-scoring triple to rightcenter field with two outs, and then Williams singled on Cloude's 103rd pitch to cut the lead to 5-2.