'Hawks trample Ranch dwellers

Lancaster scored nine runs in the top of the third inning - all with two outs - and cruised to a victory over San Bernardino

For 21 innings entering Wednesday's game against the Lancaster JetHawks, the San Bernardino Stampede were not gracious hosts.

During those 21 innings, which spanned three games, the Stampede did not allow their opponents to score a run. That included Tuesday's shutout of the JetHawks and an Aug. 13 shutout against San Jose.

That streak continued for two more innings Wednesday, but suddenly came to a screaching halt. The JetHawks rocked San Bernardino for nine runs in the top of the third inning and cruised to a 14-4 victory over the Stampede before 2,675 fans.

"It was good to see our guys come back and score some runs like that," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "Now we have to keep it going against the big leaguer."

In today's series finale, the JetHawks will face the Dodgers' Ismael Valdes, who will make a major league rehabilitation start. L.A. infielder Tripp Cromer is also expected to start for the Stampede today.

The JetHawks needed Wednesday's nine-run inning and the win to maintain their one-game lead over Modesto in the Valley Division playoff race. The A's beat High Desert 3-2 at John Thurman Field.

"We've got to keep it going," Burleson said. "Modesto is playing some pretty good ball right now, and we need to match them."

On Wednesday, the JetHawks used eight two-out hits, including Matt Sachse's two-run homer, a walk and a Stampede error to blow open what was a scoreless tie.

Lancaster also got an outstanding performance from Justin Kaye, who pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to help preserve the lead. He picked up his first victory as a JetHawk and improved his record to 1-2 while striking out seven.

"Kaye did a great job of throwing up some zeroes in those middle innings," Burleson said. "That's exactly what we needed."

Lancaster also needed to end a 12-inning scoreless streak, a goal they accomplished in impressive fashion in the top of the third.

The JetHawks' big inning started innocently enough, as Cirilo Cruz Jr. blooped a two-out single into center field.

After Brendan Kingman singled, Jayson Bass drove in Cruz with Lancaster's third consecutive single. Jason Regan then scored both Kingman and Bass with a double down the left-field line.

"Once we got those first two or three runs, it took the pressure off everybody," Burleson said. "You could see everybody relax and take some pretty good swings."

Sachse got the biggest hit of the inning when he rocketed Maximo Regaldo's 1-2 offering over the right-field wall to make the score 5-0.

The JetHawks, weren't done yet, as they loaded the bases on Joel Ramirez's broken-bat single, Anton French's walk and an error charged to San Bernardino third baseman Ricky Bell on Francisco Santiestaban's grounder.

Ramon Vazquez drove in Ramirez and French with his single up the middle, before Cruz completed the scoring spree by doubling in Santiestaban and Vazquez.

In all, the JetHawks sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning and all nine players in the Lancaster lineup scored a run. The nine runs in the inning was a season high.

The happiest man about the big inning was probably Jose Gonzalez, who was making his first start as a JetHawk after going 2-0 in seven appearances out of the bullpen.

Gonzalez, allowed only a Casey Snow double in the first two frames. In the next inning and a third, he allowed seven hits and a walk, which resulted in four earned runs, but he handed Kaye a 9-4 lead.

"Gonzo gave us everything he had," Burleson said. "He was more of a pitch count. We weren't concerned about getting him through five innings and getting him the W."