'Hawks rally from 9-run deficit in win

Lancaster pulled off its second largest comeback in club history, erasing a 9-0 Lake Elsinore lead for the victory

He braced for the nuclear winds. He eyed the baked infield. He saw that even at half-staff, the starched flags were reaching for Edwards.

You know what? As it turned out, he loved it.

Preceded to the mound in Lancaster by the rave notices of a 2-0 record and sparkling 0.56 ERA in his California League debut on the road, the former Midwest League all-star was greeted with an eight that looked even more seismic on the scoreboard than on the Richter Scale.

The Lake Elsinore Storm massaged the JetHawk rookie for eight runs on eight hits before he could be pulled to cover with two outs in the second inning, following Jeff Guiel's first grand slam of the season.

But it all became a footnote when Pineiro saw that earthquakes are often followed by aftershocks.

The JetHawks put up a shocking six of their own in the seventh inning and a seven in the eighth for a stunning 13-9 comeback victory that rewarded a faithful crowd of 3,031 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

Cirilo Cruz slugged a grand slam in the eighth inning to turn a 9-8 deficit into the second greatest comeback in JetHawks history. Lancaster had wiped out a 10-run lead (17-10) in a 20-17 defeat of Bakersfield in April, 1997.

Trailing 9-0 entering the seventh, Jason Regan slammed a leadoff home run (his 16th) to at least spoil Jason Stephens' shutout bid.

After singles by Jayson Bass, Luis Tinoco and Francisco Santiesteban wrapped around a Matt Sachse ground ball that produced two Storm errors, Lancaster's ambitions grew.

Chris Dean singled home a run, Ramon Vazquez grounded out to score another run and Cruz, the Cal League RBI leader with 89, ripped a two-run single to make it 9-6.

In the eighth, Greg Connors tripled home Sachse, bringing on JetHawks nemesis Bo Donaldson in relief.

After he hit Santiesteban with a pitch and Dean singled home Connors, Vazquez was walked intentionally.

Cruz then connected for a rocket that disappeared, like Lake Elsinore's lead.

Allan Westfall (3-3) worked two scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Donaldson (3-4) was tagged with the loss.

Pineiro had raised eyebrows by four-hitting the Modesto A's and then shutting out the Stockton Ports on four hits fresh off the airplane from an all-star first half with the Timber Rattlers.

The precociously poised Puerto Rican-born right-hander, just 19, made the jump to the Cal League before more heralded Seattle Mariner No. 1 draftees Gil Meche (1996) and Ryan Anderson (1997).

But that old line about any port obviously didn't include this storm.

Michael Colangelo opened the game with a single. Old JetHawks chum Steve Hagins followed with a double that was kept from doing any damage by an intervening double play.

As Benny Looper, the Mariners player development director, looked on, Pineiro wasn't so fortunate in the second inning.

Guiel and Jason Dewey each doubled, producing one run. Ryan Kane walked and Nelson Castro beat out a sacrifice bunt to load the bases, and Colangelo singled home Dewey.

Pineiro cost himself the next two runs by walking Nathan Murphy and then hitting Hagins with the bases loaded.

Shawn Wooten - who'd driven in eight runs in Sunday's 17-12 debacle - took a called third strike for the second out. Guiel then launched his club-leading 13th homer of the season over the maintenance shed beyond the right field wall.

In his cameo Lancaster debut, Pineiro's ERA rocketed from 0.56 to 4.59.

In relief of Pineiro, the JetHawk bullpen delivered six innings blemished only by Dewey's solo home run (No. 12) off Pete Janicki in the sixth.