JetHawks win opener 1-0 in defensive duel

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - For two years, Lancaster Municipal Stadium has established a reputation as a launching pad in the Cal League.

The High Desert winds have become notorious for turning routine pop-ups into doubles, triples and home runs.

Maybe the Hangar has turned over a new leaf in its third season - if only for one game.

The Lancaster JetHawks opened the 1998 season with a 1-0 victory over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in a surprising show of pitching and defense.

Don't adjust your sets. That's right, 1-0.

For openers, an historic moment for the 3,511 fans who attended the opening day festivities - it was the first time in the history of The Hangar that only one run has been scored in a game.

The only other time the JetHawks have pitched a shutout at The Hangar was July 16, 1997 against San Bernardino.

"It was nice to see our guys throw strikes," Lancaster pitching coach Jim Slaton said. "I think all of our guys did a real good job of that today."

JetHawks reliever Allan Westfall struck out Pete Paciorck looking with the game-tying run on second base in the ninth inning to preserve the season-opening win for the JetHawks.

But Westfall was just the last in a long line of JetHawks pitchers who had a good night.

Through the first five innings of the game, Rancho Cucamonga's Jason Middlebrook and Lancaster's Denny Stark were overpowering opposing hitters.

Stark allowed only one hit and two walks on 72 pitches, 43 of which were strikes. He struck out six and allowed the ball to leave the infield only once - on Nathan Dunn's single into right field.

Middlebrook was equally impressive, striking out seven on 87 pitches. He allowed two hits and two walks.

But unlike Stark, Middlebrook got into trouble in the bottom of the second inning. He allowed a leadoff single to Jayson Bass, who stole second base. Bass advanced to third when Middlebrook walked two consecutive batters and scored on Cirilo Cruz's sacrifice fly.

"I picked the right pitch to run on, then I moved to third," Bass said. "Cirilo did a great job of getting the ball deep enough to allow me to score."

Lancaster made that lead stand with more solid pitching from relievers Russ Koehler, Aaron Scheffer and Westfall. Koehler pitched out of a jam in the sixth, after allowing back-to-back one-out singles to Scott Seal and Wiklenman Gonzalez. But he got A.J. Johnson to ground to second base and struck out Dunn looking to end the threat.

Scheffer also dodged a bullet in the eighth inning, when the Quakes' Brian McClure sent a one-out double to right field. He took third on Seal's ground out, but was stranded when Scheffer struck out Gonzalez.

Westfall came on in the ninth to pick up the save. Westfall allowed a leadoff single to Johnson, but retired the next three batters to close out the game.

"We've talked about our bullpen being a strength for us," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "Right now we have confidence in anyone out there. We're not afraid to give the ball to any of them."

Although the pitchers took center stage Thursday, they needed some outstanding defensive plays to bail them out.

Fans at The Hangar, who are used to seeing spectacular home runs fly out of the park, were treated to three consecutive spectacular defensive plays.

The leather showcase started in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Rancho Cucamonga first baseman Paciorck dove to his right to grab Luis Tinoco's line drive and rob of him of a sure base hit.

Lancaster third baseman Jason Regan returned the favor with a mirror image of Paciorck's grab on a shot off the bat of the Quakes' Gus Kennedy in the top of the seventh inning.

JetHawks shortstop Ramon Vazquez completed the defensive run by going deep into the hole behind second base to get a glove on the ball, then made a spinning throw to first to rob Paciorck.

"I think we're pretty good defensively," Vazquez said. "We need to make sure we make all the routine plays and then try to make some more nice ones. That's what I think I'm here to work on."