JetHawks split in homecoming

Lancaster finally made a home appearance but lost the first game of a doubleheader to Lake Elsinore before rebounding to win Game 2.

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER - After playing 17 of their last 20 games on the road, the Lancaster JetHawks couldn't wait to get back to familiar territory.

But after Tuesday's game was rained out, the JetHawks' homecoming was further delayed by one hour and 35 minutes by what remained of the most recent storm to dump on the Antelope Valley.

Once the rain clouds finally cleared, Lancaster found that life on the road wasn't so bad after all. The JetHawks opened a homestand that will see them play 15 of their next 19 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium with a 7-2 loss to Lake Elsinore in the first game of a doubleheader.

At press time, the JetHawks led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth in the second game. Jason Regan hit his second home run of the night, a three-run blast in the third inning to provide Lancaster with the lead.

The game 1 loss ended Lancaster's four-game winning streak and extended the Storm's roll to four games.

It also continued the JetHawks' trend of struggling at home, dropping their record at The Hangar to 6-11, much to the dismay of the paid attendance of 2,318 fans on a chilly, damp night.

One player who certainly wasn't feeling the cold was Lake Elsinore pitcher Brian Tokarse (4-3), who picked up his second consecutive complete-game victory. Tokarse wasn't even wearing long sleeves despite the 47-degree temperatures, which felt much cooler.

"It wasn't that bad," Tokarse said of the chilly mid-May weather. "I felt it a little sitting in the dugout. But when I was on the mound, it didn't bother me at all."

The only time Tokarse looked bothered was in the first two innings, when the JetHawks gathered three of their four hits in the game. Cirilo Cruz Jr. picked up a two-out double in the first inning, and Luis Tinoco led off with a double in the second.

Vazquez drove in Tinoco with a two-out, opposite-field triple, tying the game at 1-1.

But until Regan hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tokarse didn't allow another hit. In fact, only one Lancaster batter reached base against Tokarse after the second inning other than Regan. Vazquez drew a fifth-inning walk, but was caught stealing.

"I usually have a tough time in the first couple of innings," Tokarse said. "It takes me a couple of innings to find my rhythm. It took me a couple of innings to settle down tonight."

It also took the Lake Elsinore offense a little while to settle in and give him some run support. Larry Barnes scored the first run of the game on a solo home run to right-center field, but it wasn't until he scored a strange run in the top of the fourth that the Storm took the lead for good.

Barnes drew a two-out walk from Lancaster starter John Kelly (0-2). But the JetHawks seemed to have him picked off first base with a throw to Brendan Kingman. Umpire Toby Hoy ruled the JetHawks missed three close tags on the ensuing rundown, and Barnes slid safely into second base. Greg Morris singled him in and gave the Storm a 2-1 lead.

Morris also was involved in a controversial pickoff play at first a few pitches later, when Kingman appeared to tag him out before he got his hand back on the bag. Kingman argued Hoy's safe call and was ejected from the game.

The Storm added five runs in the top of the seventh, thanks to three consecutive doubles off Kelly to lead off the frame. Kevin Gryboski came in to replace Kelly, but surrendered two more runs on two hits and an error.

The game was Gryboski's first since he was placed on the disabled list May 4 with a right biceps strain. He replaced Jason Bond on the active roster, after Bond was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 2 with a strained medial collateral ligament in his elbow.