Blame pitching for Lancaster's latest setback

By VINCE WETZEL
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - The main reason behind the JetHawks' secondhalf struggles have been the team's inability to put together the three keys of baseball - hitting, pitching and defense.

No consistency, no victory.

In some games, the hitting would be there, while the pitching and defense would be non-existent.

For eight innings Friday, Lancaster put it all together in its first home game in two weeks.

However, when the ninth inning rolled around, the pitching disappeared. Lancaster pitchers gave up four doubles in the ninth en route to a 7-6 loss to to Lake Elsinore before a welcome-home crowd of 3,424 at The Hangar.

"It's heartbreaking more than it is frustrating," Lancaster manager Rick Burleson said. "When you think you have the game won, and then get beat like that, it's hard to take."

The ninth began with a leadoff double to Nelson Castro off reliever Justin Kaye. With a 6-4 lead, Kaye was lifted for closer Allan Westfall, who couldn't shut down the rally, but instead fueled it.

Lake Elsinore batters switched places with their baserunners at second with three straight doubles off Westfall.

Jason Dewey and Shawn Wooten doubled down the left-field line, while Jeff Guiel doubled off the right-field wall. All three batters drove in runs as the Storm rallied for the win. Westfall took the loss and fell to 2-5.

"If Kaye gives up two runs in that situation, then I'm kicking myself for not bringing in Westfall," Burleson said. "In that situation, I went with (Westfall) because he had success against those hitters last week in Lake Elsinore.

"I'd do it again."

Lancaster responded to the home surroundings with three first-inning runs. Ramon Vazquez led off with a single. A batter later, Cirilo Cruz Jr. joined Vazquez on base with another single.

A passed ball on a strikeout to Jayson Bass gave Lancaster its first run. After a walk and an infield single loaded the bases, the newest JetHawk, Greg Connors, hit a two-run single to put Lancaster up 3-0.

Lake Elsinore stormed back in the top of the fourth off Lancaster starter Brian Fuentes.

Wooten led off the inning with a double down the left-field line. Fuentes walked Guiel, before Steve Hagins tripled into the right-center gap. The hit cut Lancaster's lead to 3-2. Ryan Kane followed with an RBI double that tied the game at 3.

With no outs in the inning, Fuentes rallied with a strikeout and two groundouts to get the JetHawks out of trouble.

Lancaster seemed to take control of the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

The rally began with a Luis Tinoco single. Two outs later, Matt Sachse hit a hard line drive to Lake Elsinore shortstop Nelson Castro. The drive took a bad hop, giving Sachse a hit and putting runners on first and second.

Karl Thompson doubled to score Tinoco, before Vazquez singled in Sachse and Thompson. That gave Lancaster a seemingly comfortable 6-3 lead.

The Storm got out of the inning when Guiel made a terrific overthe-head catch on a long drive hit by Chris Dean.

Fuentes gave up three earned runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked five. Kevin Gryboski made Lancaster's 6-3 lead seem comfortable with 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Fuentes.

However, that was before Mr. Inconsistency reared his ugly head.