Mavs launch early fireworks vs. 'Hawks

ADELANTO - The fireworks at Maverick Stadium weren't supposed to start until after Saturday's game.

Someone must have forgotten to tell the Mavericks.

High Desert hit three two-run home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take control of an Independence Day slugfest with the Lancaster JetHawks much to the delight of the season-high 5,408 High Desert faithful in attendance. The Mavericks held on for a 10-8 victory, dropping Lancaster (8-8) into sole possession of last place in the Valley Division second-half standings, two games behind High Desert.

"This is an important series for us," Lancaster catcher Karl Thompson said. "We play them seven of the last 10 games this season, but these are big games. We need to come back and win the next two."

Thompson did all he could to help Lancaster grab the first game of the series, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI.

His first-inning home run to left field put Lancaster in the lead early, a position the JetHawks have become accustomed to recently.

"We've jumped ahead early a lot in these last few games," Thompson said. "But we haven't been adding to it. We'd score two or three runs, and then couldn't close it out by adding on runs."

Lancaster, which had lost early leads in four consecutive games, tried to change that trend Saturday, scoring two runs in the second, one in the third, and two in the fourth.

But the JetHawks failed to shake the Mavericks, who entered the fifth trailing only 6-4.

"We scored enough runs to win tonight," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "But we still need to step it up in a couple of areas."

Lancaster starter Greg Wooten walked Junior Spivey to lead off the fifth. Jarrod Patterson followed by crushing Wooten's full-count offering over the right-field wall to tie the game.

That home run, which was Patterson's seventh of the season, tied the game 6-6 and brought Wooten's night to an end.

Justin Kaye, who had just arrived from Class A Wisconsin, had his second pitch as a JetHawk slapped through the left side of the Lancaster defense by Kevin Clark. Jhensey Sandoval then deposited his third home run of the season just left of the batter's eye in center field, giving the Mavericks their first lead of the game.

Rod Barajas picked up High Desert's fourth consecutive hit by singling into center field before John Adams belted the Mavericks' third two-run homer of the frame to right-center field.

"He fell behind and had to come in with fastballs, and they hit a couple of rockets," Burleson said.

By the time all the smoke had cleared, Lancaster found itself down 10-6 and still looking for the first out in the bottom of the fifth.

Kaye (0-1), who had been dominating in Wisconsin, allowing only 30 walks and 25 hits in 47 1/3 innings of work while striking out 79 and going 6-2 with a 1.71 ERA, obviously would like to forget his Cal League debut.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound righthander settled down after allowing hits to the first four Cal League batters he faced and didn't surrender a run the rest of the way in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

"He was a little nervous out there tonight," Thompson said. "I think he was just gripping the ball too hard. But he settled down and pitched pretty well after that."

Lancaster scored one run in each of the sixth and eighth innings and had a chance to rally from two runs down in the ninth inning for the second consecutive night. But Ramon Vazquez, who represented the tying run, was caught stealing second base for the final out of the game.