By JAY ROSS
Staff Writer
ADELANTO - The Lancaster JetHawks didn't support pitcher Ken Cloude with an abundance of runs Friday night, but that was OK. Cloude didn't need it.
Cloude gave up three hits in seven innings and the JetHawks used Jesus Marquez's 11th home run to pull away from High Desert 7-1 at Maverick Stadium.
"I wasn't overpowering, nothing fancy," Cloude, who struck out four, said. "I got ahead and they had to hit what I threw."
The JetHawks (5-5 in the second half) scored 15 runs in Cloude's previous start. However, he needed it because Visalia scored 14, chasing Cloude in the fourth inning. A nine-run surge by Lancaster gave Cloude a no-decision.
"He's on a 10-day rotation, we'll get him on back on the regular five-day," Lancaster manager Dave Brundage said about Cloude, who started in the California League-Carolina League All-Star Game. "He did a nice job, threw strong innings."
Cloude improves to 9-2, moving the JetHawks into a third-place tie in the Southern Division with Lake Elsinore.
Even when the game was close, Cloude made it clear that he was in control. The Mavericks, who are in last place in the division at 3-7, didn't get their first hit until the fifth inning.
After Cloude induced two flyouts to start the inning, Mavericks designated hitter Chris Bryant - who had one hit in his last 15 at-bats - singled to right field to break up the no-hitter.
"I got inside a little better than usual," Cloude said. "Kept them honest."
In the sixth, the Mavericks finally broke through against Cloude. Jesus Garcia and Doug Newstrom opened with singles, prompting action in the Lancaster bullpen.
Cloude settled and worked a 2-2 count against Mike Berry, the Cal League's third-leading hitter with a .358 batting average. Berry lifted a fly ball to the right-field foul line, but catcher Dusty Wathan couldn't handle Marquez's throw as Garcia scored to make it 2-1.
The threat wasn't over yet. Newstrom took third on the play at the plate and represented the tying run with the Mavs top power hitter, Chris Kirgan, coming to the plate.
But Cloude got Kirgan, who has 14 home runs, to ground out to first to end it.
"He was near unhittable for five innings," Brundage said. "He made one mistake, and that cost him his only run. I think I can live with that."
Lancaster hit reliever Greg Dean quickly in the seventh. After Doug Carroll singled, Shawn Buhner walked and Wathan reached on Dean's fielding error to load the bases. Mike Lanza hit a two-run single to make it 4-1.
Tim Olszewski then replaced Dean. He intentionally walked Shane Monahan to get to Scott Smith, who has nine RBI in seven games since his promotion to Lancaster. But Olszewski struck Smith out, bringing on left-handed reliever Dan Reed to face Marquez, who flied out to end it.
Marquez, however, provided the JetHawks with some insurance when he hit a three-run homer in the ninth. Reliever John Daniels took over for Cloude in the eighth and earned his sixth save with two scoreless innings.
Lancaster opened scoring in the third.
Carroll drove in Buhner on a fielder's choice, and Monahan doubled off the left-center wall to score Jason Cook for a 2-0 lead.
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