Storm rains on Victery parade

JetHawks rocked again

When you're the Lancaster JetHawks and you're 2-9 at home, you're just glad you can point to Joe Victery.

Under the rubble of Tuesday's 12-2 train-wreck loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm seen by an announced crowd of 2,238 innocent bystanders at The Hangar, Victery's first appearance since August of 1997 provided a layer of hope.

On the comeback trail from tendinitis that required the Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery - which shelved him for the entire 1998 season - Victery left Tuesday's game tied 2-2 with two out in the fifth inning when he reached his limit of 85 pitches.

"It felt good to be back," said Victery, whose family back home in Chickasha, Okla., could see the funnel clouds that devastated the Plains states Monday. "I wanted to get that last out, of course. I ran out of pitches, I did my best."

By the time the Storm, who won back-to-back games for the first time since April 14, got done batting around against reliever Juan Ramos in a seven-run inning, Victery was charged with four earned runs on four hits.

"My velocity's not up where it was before, when I could throw it by some people," Victery said. "I have to work a little harder. But I feel I'm a better pitcher because of the surgery."

Victery's nervousness was evident when he hit the first batter he faced, and then wild-pitched Storm leadoff man Darren Blakely to second base. Nate Murphy's one-out double to center field made it 1-0.

Lancaster tied the game when Gerald Eady singled home Harvey Hargrove in the second inning. The JetHawks might have done more damage, but, in their latest episode of lost-in-space baserunning, Craig Kuzmic somehow managed to get picked off first base by 20 feet with Hargrove in front of him at second.

Greg Connors' wind-blown fly ball down the right-field line that eluded right fielder Jeb Dougherty led to the temporary go-ahead run for Lancaster in the third inning.

A sharply-hit Alexander Fernandez ground ball that was scored an error on Lake Elsinore second baseman Adam Leggett put the JetHawks ahead 2-1.

Steve Fish would have no more trouble with Lancaster. The Anaheim Angels' 22nd-round draft choice in 1997, who was 10-4 at Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League last year, scattered seven hits over six innings to improve to 2-3.

Gus Kennedy's second home run of the year, a two-run shot, capped the seven-run fifth inning for Lake Elsinore.

Ramos relieved Victery and was immediately touched for a two-run single by Matt Curtis. Jason Huisman lashed a double down the left-field line to put runners at second and third for Steve Hagins, who posted the inning's second two-run single.

The significance of Victery's poise after a long absence unwittingly was underscored by Emerson Bello in the eighth.

Curtis welcomed the JetHawks' right-hander back from two weeks on the disabled list by rocketing his first offering over the maintenance shed beyond the right-field fence.

By the time the inning was over, JetHawks manager Darren Garner was conducting bullpen auditions on the field. Rafael Lopez, the commuting catcher just back from Class AA New Haven, gamely volunteered and was cuffed for a bases-loaded triple by Blakely.

Shawn McCorkle's third fourhit game of the season went for naught. The Lancaster first baseman reached base on all five trips to the plate.