Comeback 'Hawks strike again

Lancaster rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to win its second straight game for the first time since July 21-22.

Now they have two in less than a week.

The JetHawks, who had never come from behind when trailing after the seventh inning in their first 39 attempts this season, staged a furious ninth-inning rally to steal an 8-6 victory from the Visalia Oaks on Saturday.

"I think we're starting to enjoy this," JetHawks interim manager Scott Steinmann said. "We had a meeting about playing all nine innings. . . There's a little different feel in the dugout now in the ninth inning."

Anton French capped the rally with a three-run home run over the right-field wall at Recreation Park.

"With two strikes, I was just trying to make contact," French said. "I just wanted to put the ball in play on the right side. That was supposed to be a line drive, but I guess Lady Luck was on my side."

The homer helped the JetHawks to their second straight victory for the first time since they took the first two in a series at Stockton on July 21-22.

It didn't appear Lancaster would come away with the win when Visalia entered the final inning with a 6-4 advantage. With the way reliever Chris Gorrell (2-4) was pitching, that should have been a comfortable margin. Gorrell had held Lancaster to one infield single through his first 2 1/3 innings of work.

"When you get to the ninth inning, things obviously get a little more urgent," Steinmann said. "We don't want to wait that long all the time, but it's nice to know we can come back like that."

Luis Tinoco led off the ninth with a single through the left side of the Visalia infield. Jason Regan then singled into shallow center field.

Cirilo Cruz Jr., who was pinchhitting for Francisco Santiestaban, drew the JetHawks within one run with possibly the biggest hit of the inning. Cruz came off the bench and drove the first pitch he saw down the right-field line for an RBI double.

"That was the big hit," French said. "It was the first pitch he saw coming off the bench, and he hit a double. That took a lot of pressure off me. He's a big-time hitter."

Cruz's hit brought up French with runners on second and third and no outs. The Lancaster outfielder fell behind 1-2, but managed to turn on a slider that broke toward him.

"I don't think they thought I could get to that," French said. "I have good bat speed and can get to those inside pitches."

French's hit took Joel Pineiro off the hook for the loss and gave Jose Gonzalez (1-0), who was making his Lancaster debut, the win. Gonzalez held Visalia to one run through his three innings of work.

Pineiro, who avoided a loss when Lancaster completed the second-largest comeback in team history against Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, struggled through the first five innings. He allowed five runs on 10 hits and two walks.

The Oaks broke a 4-4 tie and took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Eric Byrnes scored from third base on Pineiro's second charged balk of the game. Tom Russin added a solo home run in the sixth off Gonzalez.

Brendan Kingman gave Lancaster a 1-0 lead with his 11th home run in the top of the first, but the Oaks scored four straight runs to take a three-run advantage.