JetHawks pounce on Modesto

Lancaster came through with runners on base and cruised to its eighth win in nine games, easily beating Modesto

MODESTO - It didn't take long for the Lancaster JetHawks to prove that Saturday night was going to be different from Friday.

Unlike the night before, when Lancaster got plenty of runners on base but couldn't score until the eighth inning, the JetHawks immediately jumped on top.

The JetHawks cruised to their eighth win in nine games and their eighth in 10 games over Modesto with an 8-1 victory over the A's before 3,406 fans at John Thurman Field.

The JetHawks jumped on top in the first, when Brendan Kingman scored Adonis Harrison from third base with a two-out single back up the middle.

"Kingman had a key hit for us in the first," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "That really got us going."

Only one night earlier, Lancaster left 11 runners on base, including two on third base. Saturday, the JetHawks still stranded nine runners, but were much more effective when they needed to be.

In a strange turn, Modesto out-hit the JetHawks 10-8 in the game. Friday, it was the JetHawks who out-hit the A's 12-8, but ended up on the short end of the score.

Jason Regan, who was named to the Valley Division All-Star Team earlier in the day to replace the injured Junior Spivey of High Desert, made the lead 2-0 in the fourth with a solo home run to left field. The blast was his 12th of the season.

Karl Thompson then picked up a two-out triple off the right-field wall scoring Jayson Bass and Anton French.

"Those two hits were huge," Burleson said. "When you get a lead like that, everybody can relax and just play baseball a little better."

Lancaster added two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh, and that was more than enough for Jason Bond, who was making his second appearance after coming off the disabled list with a strained medial-collateral ligament in his left elbow.

"I felt real strong tonight," Bond said. "I had no pain at all, no stiffness. It was great."

Bond, who pitched four shutout innings to kick start a 9-3 win over Modesto on June 7, was even more impressive Saturday. He pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and two walks, while striking out four.

He also grabbed his first victory since the injury and improved his season record to 3-1.

Four of the five hits Bond surrendered were doubles, but the left-hander continually worked his way out of jams.

"Bond pitched real well tonight," Burleson said. "We've been real encouraged by what we've seen in both his starts since he came off the disabled list."

Bond said he tired a little in the sixth inning when he walked two Modesto batters. But Brian Sweeney came in to strikeout Hipolito Martinez to end the threat.

"Brian's been doing things like that for this entire staff," Bond said.

Sweeney, who celebrated his 24th birthday, allowed two hits and struck out one batter in 1 1/3 inning.

Cam Smith relieved Sweeney to start the eighth, but felt dizzy and light-headed during warmups. Trainer Troy McIntosh said Smith suffered from a mild asthma attack.

Brian Fitzgerald came on an allowed only one earned run on three hits in the final two innings.

Lancaster used two Modesto errors on one play in the sixth inning to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

Thompson started the rally by drawing a two-out walk. Harrison following with a single into right field. Vazquez followed with a single to right field, scoring Thompson from second. Harrison took third on the play and scored when the throw in from the outfield got away at home plate.