Bottom lineup rises to occasion

Eight of Lancaster's 12 hits were supplied by the bottom of the order as the JetHawks won in pitcher Brian Fuentes' debut.

That recipe seemed to work in Friday's 8-4 victory over Visalia before a Cheap Beer and Rock `n' Roll Night crowd of about 1,000 at Recreation Park.

With the win, Lancaster claimed two of three at Visalia and won its second three-game series of the season - both of which came on the road against teams in the Oakland A's organization.

"Overall, we basically outplayed them tonight," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "We got the big hits when we needed them."

Most of those big hits came from the bottom half of the lineup.

Eight of the JetHawks' 12 hits in the game and all eight runs were scored by the Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters. Leadoff batter Adonis Harrison also picked up three hits and an RBI in the game.

That type of offensive support made Brian Fuentes' JetHawks debut that much easier.

Fuentes, who is rated the Mariners' No. 8 prospect by Baseball America, made his first start of 1998 after staying behind in extended spring training to rehabilitate a sore arm that held him out of action most of March.

Fuentes' JetHawks career got off to a bit of a shaky start as he walked the first two batters he faced. But he battled back to retire the side.

"I was hoping everything would be like riding a bike," Fuentes said. "But I struggled a little bit."

Fuentes also walked the first two batters he faced in the second inning and the leadoff batter in the third, but none of them came back to hurt him.

The JetHawks rewarded him with three runs in the top of the second.

Brendan Kingman led off the inning with an infield single and Jason Regan followed with a walk. Greg Connors doubled in Kingman before Matt Sachse drove in Regan with a ground ball and Anton French's single plated Connors.

The Oaks finally touched Fuentes for their first hit and first run in the bottom of the third, when Dave Slemmer blasted Fuentes' 2-2 offering over the right-field fence to trim Lancaster's lead to 3-1.

Visalia forced Fuentes to reach his pitch count early, as six of the 15 batters he faced went to full counts and seven others saw at least four pitches. He left after the third inning having thrown 77 pitches after allowing one run on two hits. He walked six and struck out four.

"I was happy they only got the one run off me," Fuentes said. "I battled the best I could."

As did the JetHawks, who added to their two-run lead in the top of the fourth when Kingman beat a tag at home plate on Regan's double.

After Visalia added a run in the bottom of the fourth, Lancaster stretched its lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth. Regan got things going by reaching on an error. Connors singled and Sachse walked to load the bases.

French drove Regan in with a sacrifice fly. Connors followed him in on Harrison's single, and Sachse scored when David Skeels' snap throw to third bounded into left field.

Visalia trimmed the lead by two in the bottom half of the inning when Juan Camilo singled in Adam Robinson and Wednesday night's hero, Dionys Cesar, scored on a wild pitch by Russ Koehler.

But Regan scored his third run of the night on Connors' second double of the game.

Koehler (1-2) took the win after allowing three earned run in three innings of relief, while Kyle Kennison picked up his first save of the season by pitching three shutout innings.

Connors finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Kingman and French each added two hits.

"The whole team did a pretty good job of hitting," Connors said. "I think everybody is starting to hit now. When one guy starts to get hot, it seems to get some other guys going."