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By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
LANCASTER - The lack of offense, particularly key hits, has contributed heavily to the Lancaster JetHawks' atrocious May.
Maybe they can learn a few hitting tips from the San Jose Giants.
The Giants scored their first seven runs with two outs and pounded out 15 hits through the first eight innings and led, 10-4, in the top of the ninth at press time.
The JetHawks were on their way to their second-straight defeat to the California League's Northern Division-leading Giants in front of a paid attendance of 3,778 at The Hangar.
It would also be their 17th loss in 21 games this month.
With a win, San Jose would improve to 30-16, best in the league.
The Giants scored in five of the first seven innings. They came into the game sixth in the Cal League with a .276 team batting average, but they had eight hits in the first four innings off Lancaster starter Marino Santana.
At the other end of the spectrum were the JetHawks, who left 12 runners on base through the first eight innings, including the bases loaded in the third.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the second on Edwards Guzman's two-out single.
The JetHawks tied the game in the bottom of the second on Jason Cook's RBI fielder's choice.
But the Giants put together three-straight hits and a walk to highlight a four-run rally in the third and took a 5-1 lead.
With two outs, Craig Mayes walked and Jesse Ibarra singled. Derek Reid then doubled into the left-field corner, scoring both runners and making it 3-1.
Bobby Bonds Jr. followed with a single to left to score Reid. Bonds went to third on an errant pick-off throw by Santana and scored when Luis Molina bobbled a grounder hit by Todd Wilson.
The JetHawks of the first part of the season returned in the bottom of the third. Remember them?
Marcus Sturdivant and Shane Monahan walked on four pitches each as San Jose starter Ben Tucker lost sight of the strike zone.
The count reached 2-0 against Jose Cruz Jr., who eventually singled to right to bring Sturdivant home and cut the lead to 5-2.
Jesus Marquez singled, scoring Monahan. After Carlos Villalobos and James Clifford both popped out, Tucker walked Cook to load the bases and he was replaced by left-handed reliever Phillip Bailey.
Bailey struck out Andy Augustine to end the inning.
Again, the Giants had another two-out rally off Santana in the fourth.
Delgado and Mayes both singled, and Ibarra followed with his third hit of the game, a sharp grounder up the middle that was scooped up by a diving Cook behind third base. Cook had no play as Delgado scored.
Santana was replaced by Tim Trawick to begin the sixth. He gave up nine hits, struck out six and walked two.
Mayes and Ibarra hit back-to-back doubles with off Trawick in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-3.
Batting .306 entering the game, Ibarra had hits in his first four at-bats with two RBI.
Cruz collected his second hit and RBI of the game on a blooper in shallow left field that eluded Delgado, scoring Molina and cutting the San Jose lead to 7-4.
Bonds, who was hitting .237 entering the game, collected his third-straight single to open the seventh and eventually scored with Wilson on Guzman's triple down the right-field line, increasing the lead to 9-4.
Those runs were the first scored by the Giants in the game with less than two outs. Alguacil's sacrifice fly scored Guzman with the 10th run.