JetHawks give Ayala 1st victory

Lancaster pitcher Julio Ayala got help from his offense to earn his first win of the season.

Until Tuesday's game at Billy Hebert Field, Ayala had nothing to show for his first four Cal League starts except an ERA and some strikeout and walk totals.

He had no decisions - though he came close. The JetHawks bailed him out of taking losses in Ayala's first two starts. He left the April 16 game against San Jose with the score tied and, last time out, he watched his bullpen lose a one-run lead against Visalia.

But that's all history. No longer are there two zeroes after Ayala's name in the pitching line. And the JetHawks made sure his first Cal League decision was one he would want to remember, as they beat Stockton 4-2 in front of 899 fans.

"It's great to get my first win," Ayala said. "But all the credit for it should go to my team. I'm nothing out there without the other eight guys in the field."

The win was Lancaster's sixth in the last eight games, all of which have come on the road, and evened the JetHawks record at 13-13.

It didn't come easily, though, as Matt Sachse caught a towering shot off the bat of Dee Jenkins with his back against the right-field wall. With two runners on base, the shot would have won the game for Stockton, or likely tied the game if the ball bounced off the wall.

"I was sitting back (in the clubhouse watching) and I couldn't tell how hard it was hit," Ayala said of the ninth-inning blast. "I heard the crowd, and I was like, `Oh No'."

But that was probably the only time Ayala had to say that.

The JetHawks staked Ayala to an early lead in the second inning with four runs on three hits. All four runs crossed the plate with two outs in the frame.

Jayson Bass drew a one-out walk from Ports starter Allen Levrault. An out later, Mike Burrows followed with another walk.

Sachse then drove in Bass with a double off the left-center field wall. Both Burrows and Sachse scored on Adonis Harrison's single up the middle.

Harrison then stole second base, his fifth theft of the season, and scored on the second of Ramon Vazquez's three hits. Those were the only runs Lancaster would score all night.

"When you get a team on the ropes like that, you've got to come back and put a digit or two on the board," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said.

Fortunately, that 4-0 lead was all Ayala would need; he left as the pitcher of record after the sixth inning.

He did surrender two runs in the bottom of the fifth, though.

Josh Klimek and Jason Washam picked up consecutive singles to lead off the inning, and Greg Schaub reached on a fielding error by Vazquez to load the bases with no outs. Vazquez's error was only the JetHawks' second miscue in the last five games.

The Ports made it count when Doug Bearden sacrificed in Klimek with a fly ball to left field, and Jenkins' single up the middle scored Washam. But Ayala struck out David Elliot and Jon Macalutas to end the threat.

The score was still 4-2 when Ayala left. Ayala matched his season high with eight strikeouts while walking none and surrendering six hits and two runs, both unearned.

"The curveball was working well for me tonight," Ayala said. "I was using it to hit my spots tonight."

Russ Koehler came in to pitch two scoreless innings, before Aaron Scheffer came on in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Although Scheffer didn't allow a run, he did allow two one-out singles and Jenkins' long fly ball.