Bakersfield starter Bob Oldham came into the game leading the California League in walks and home runs allowed.
By CHRIS BRANAM
Staff Writer
LANCASTER - The Lancaster Jethawks feasted on their second helping of the Bakersfield Blaze Tuesday night.
Or were they the Bad News Blaze?
The JetHawks cruised to their second-straight win over co-op Bakersfield, 14-4 in front of a paid attendance of 3,293 at The Hangar.
Lancaster (26-27) won its third in a row, and fifth in six games. Bakersfield fell to a league-worst 15-37.
"We're on track now," said Lancaster outfielder Shane Monahan, who drove in three runs. "The hitting is back. It's nice to see that we're hitting again."
Even though there were plenty of highlights in the Lancaster win, there were just as many low-lights for the bumbling Blaze.
Bakersfield starter Bob Oldham came into the game leading the California League in walks and home runs allowed.
He lived up to the billing, walking five JetHawks and giving up a three-run homer to Jason Cook. By the time Oldham left the game with two outs in the fourth, he had given up six hits and thrown 91 pitches.
Oldham wasn't helped by his defense.
Although the Blaze committed two errors in the first, the play that typified the game occurred in the second.
With Lancaster already ahead 4-1 and two outs, Jesus Marquez hit a lazy fly ball to shallow left field with two men on.
Neither left fielder Andreaus Lewis nor shortstop Craig Daedelow saw the ball, however, and both runners scored as it dropped to the turf.
Bakersfield reliever Christopher Bray walked the bottom of the JetHawks order in the fifth, throwing one strike in the process.
That left the top of the Lancaster order to mop up; Marcus Sturdivant had an RBI single and Monahan followed with a three-run double that hit the top of the manual scoreboard in right field.
Monahan's near-grand slam gave the JetHawks a 12-1 lead.
"Their pitchers helped us out," JetHawks manager Dave Brundage said. "I don't know how many walks they had, but it was a bunch."
Actually, it was eight.
The Blaze's most effective pitcher was a catcher.
Todd Johnson, who pitched collegiately at Fresno State four years ago, retired the first seven batters he faced, including striking out two, before giving up a bases-empty homer to Marquez in the eighth.
The JetHawks picked up where they left off from Monday's 10-1 win over the Blaze with a four-run first inning against Oldham.
With one out, Monahan reached on an error and Jose Cruz Jr. walked.
Marquez singled in Monahan to tie the game, and Jason Cook followed with his third homer of the season, a drive over the left-field fence that made it 4-1.
After Marquez's "double" in the second increased the lead to 6-1, Lancaster scored two more times in the fourth.
Adonis Harrison led off with a double to the gap in left-center field and stole third. Sturdivant drove in Harrison with a sacrifice fly that Lewis dropped.
Sturdivant stole second and scored on a single by Cruz, making it 8-1.
Lancaster starter Ken Cloude (5-2) went six innings, giving up three runs, all earned, and striking out four.
Reliever John Daniels went three innings to earn his fourth save.