Hargrove sacrifices body in opening win

Harvey Hargrove was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as Lancaster nipped Visalia in the first game of Monday's doubleheader

Hargrove used his legs, he used his power, and, when all else failed, he used his body.

With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning after three consecutive Lancaster singles, the center fielder was hit in the side by Oaks reliever David Wates, forcing in Rafael Lopez with the go-ahead run in a 5-4 JetHawks victory.

Gerald Eady also drove in Ramon Valera in the inning. That run helped the JetHawks (3-1) grab their third consecutive victory, despite a season-high 10 walks by the Lancaster pitching staff.

Lancaster's winning streak was in doubt in the second game, as the Oaks held 2-0 lead in the fourth inning at press time.

Lancaster's walks almost burned the JetHawks in the first inning of the first game, when Hipolito Martinez, who hit five of his nine home runs last year with Modesto against the JetHawks, came to bat with the bases loaded.

Martinez worked the count full, before blasting a shot toward center field that appeared ready to clear the bases. But that's when the speedy Hargrove sprinted back on the ball and made an over-theshoulder catch one step before he crashed into the wall.

Hargrove also provided Lancaster with some offensive power early in the first game, when he drove in Jermaine Clark with a two-run homer over the left-center field wall. The blast, which gave Lancaster a 2-1 lead at the time, was the first of the season for Hargrove, who tied for the team lead with 15 home runs last year at Class A Wisconsin.

Hargrove's heroics were needed after the first shaky pitching performance by Lancaster this season.

Unlike in their final two games in Bakersfield, when the JetHawks got six strong innings from Brian Fitzgerald on Friday and Brandon Parker on Saturday, starter Russ Koehler struggled in his three frames against the Oaks.

Where both Fitzgerald and Parker made the most of their pitches, throwing plenty of strikes, Koehler wasn't as effective with his 80 pitches. Only a little over half (44) were for strikes, as Koehler walked five.

But only one of those walks came back to hurt the Lancaster right-hander, when Rodney Clifton homered to left field, driving in Juan Camilo, who drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third inning.

Matt Howe, the son of Oakland A's manager Art Howe, also hit a solo home run off Koehler in the second inning.

Those were the only three runs Koehler allowed, but things could have been much worse after he allowed four hits to go along with the five walks. Visalia left 11 runners on base in the game.

Reliever Juan Ramos (1-0) worked one inning, allowing a solo home run to Todd Mensik to lead off the ninth inning, but still received the victory.

Justin Kaye got the final out of the game, striking out pinch hitter Tim Jones, with two runners on to pick up his second save of the season.

Lancaster had to come back to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning, after Clifton's homer put them in a 3-2 hole.

Left fielder Mike Marchiano led off the sixth with a single back up the middle. Eady came in as a pinch runner, and the speedy outfielder narrowly avoided a double play on Shawn McCorkle's ground out. He then sped to third on a wild pitch and scored the tying run on a second wild pitch by Tyler Yates.