JetHawks finally
feel Valley's wind
in 13-8 loss to Quakes

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - It took four games, but the Lancaster JetHawks finally began to learn what playing in the High Desert is all about.

By all indications, it appears the JetHawks need a little more time to adjust.

After three relatively calm days, the winds at Lancaster Municipal Stadium were whipping out of the west throughout Sunday's game and played a large role in Rancho Cucamonga's 13-8 victory.

"Just when you think you've got it all down and everything is locked in, you come back to reality," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "You have to realize this is (Class) A ball, and there's going to be mistakes made."

The Quakes and JetHawks each had five errors in the game and ended the season-opening series with a four-game split.

Unlike the first three games of the series, when Lancaster displayed excellent pitching and defense, the JetHawks struggled in the field Sunday.

Starter Julio Ayala gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk in four-plus innings. Russ Koehler, Aaron Scheffer and Kyle Kennison also weren't as effective as they were in relief appearances earlier in the series. Koehler (0-1) took the loss after giving up two runs in the fifth inning.

The Lancaster defense was also a little more shaky than it was in the previous three games, when they committed only two errors. Each of the JetHawks' starting outfielders - Luis Tinoco, Anton French and Jayson Bass - committed an error, as the wind played tricks with many of the fly balls.

"The wind definitely had an effect," French said. "We've got to get a lot of extra work on fly balls here. . . It's tough. But it happens in A ball, Double-A, Triple-A and the majors."

But French, who has played in six different leagues during his six-year professional career, said Sunday's winds were some of the toughest conditions he's played in.

While their defense struggled, Lancaster was able to take advantage of the winds to post its most productive offensive day of the young season. Lancaster, which batted only .153 (14-for-91) in the first three games, picked up nine hits Sunday.

The JetHawks actually jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the game after the fourth inning, scoring five unearned runs on the Quakes' mistakes.

Rancho Cucamonga turned the tables in the top of the fifth with six runs on five hits and two errors. The inning was highlighted by three wind-aided doubles and Wiklenman Gonzalez's three-run home run.