JetHawks shake up Quakes

Adonis Harrison doubled twice and scored three runs as Lancaster rolled past Rancho Cucamonga

Saturday's game between Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga at The Epicenter matched two of the three teams tied at the bottom of the Cal League standings in team batting average at .223.

On top of that, it was a matchup of two top pitching prospects - Denny Stark for Lancaster and Jason Middlebrook of Rancho Cucamonga.

But the anticipated pitchers' duel never materialized. From the outset, both teams' offenses looked hot. But the Quakes cooled off before the JetHawks, as Lancaster sprinted to a 10-5 lead after the top of the eighth inning before a season-high 6,186 fans at The Epicenter.

Reliever Brian Sweeney, who came on in the top of the third, made sure to cool off the Quakes, retiring 12 of the first 14 batters he faced.

But by the time Sweeney arrived, the Quakes and JetHawks had already combined for 10 runs and 14 hits.

For the third consecutive game, Adonis Harrison started the JetHawks off right with a hit, this time a double down the left-field line. Ramon Vazquez and Luis Tinoco brought him home with two ground-ball outs.

Rancho Cucamonga answered with two runs on four consecutive hits in the bottom half of the inning. Brian McClure got things started with a slow roller just of the reach at Vazquez at shortstop. A.J. Johnson doubled him in with a shot to right-center, before Brian Loyd and Scott Seal brought him home with a bloop single into center field and a broken-bat base hit past first base.

The Quakes added a run in the second when Adonis Harrison's relay throw on an attempted double play was wide and drew Cirilo Cruz off the bag and allowed Marcos Sanchez to round third and score.

But Lancaster answered with six runs in the top of the third on six hits off Rancho Cucamonga starter Jason Middlebrook. The JetHawks sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.

Karl Thompson led off with a single, and Harrison followed with a one-out walk. Vazquez's bouncer past second base scored Thompson and Tinoco doubled in Harrison to tie the game.

But the JetHawks were just getting started in the frame. Vazquez scored on a wild pitch and Cirilo Cruz Jr. singled in Tinoco. Brendan Kingman then singled to set up Greg Connors' two-run double off the left-field wall. Those runs made the score 7-3 after the third inning.

Harrison added his third run of the game in the top of the fourth on Cruz's ground ball to second base.

Harrison then drove in Anton French in the sixth with his second double of the game, making the score 9-3.

The Quakes finally got to Sweeney in the seventh with McClure's two-run homer to right-center, trimming the JetHawks' lead to 9-5.

Karl Thompson got one run back with a leadoff homer to left field in the top of the eighth - his first home run of the season