Struggling 'Hawks once again rocked by visiting Quakes

Lancaster lost its fifth straight game, all to Rancho Cucamonga, and was outscored 41-12 in the five outings

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer

Despite their franchise- and league-worst 20-39 record, the JetHawks had never lost more than four games in a row. Twice previously they had four-game losing skids, but they always avoided taking a fifth consecutive defeat.

Until Wednesday.

Consecutive loss No. 5 came in ugly fashion - a 12-3 loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before a less-than-thrilled 2,342 fans at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

"It's tough," JetHawks manager Darrin Garner said. "It's tough to watch."

All five losses have come to the Quakes by a combined score of 41-12. Rancho (34-26), which now finds itself in first place in the South Division, tied a franchise mark set in its inaugural 1993 season by winning its ninth straight.

"They're hitting on all cylinders right now," Garner said. "We're not. Recently we haven't put anything together. . . They played us at the right time."

Things won't get easier for the JetHawks, who open a four-game series with the team chasing the Quakes for the first-half title, San Bernardino, today at The Ranch. After losing their third straight Wednesday, the Stampede (32-27) trail Rancho Cucamonga by 1 1/2 games.

The JetHawks have to hope they get more offense against San Bernardino then they did in the last five games against the Quakes.

"We are really struggling offensively," Garner said. "We tried some different things early to get guys going with situational hitting, but we are struggling."

Continuing a trend that started at the Epicenter over the weekend, Rancho Cucamonga held the JetHawks to seven hits and two walks Wednesday, while striking out nine batters.

After Shawn McCorkle doubled in Ricky Magdaleno and Mike Marchiano in the bottom of the third to draw the JetHawks within one run, 3-2, Lancaster was held without a baserunner until Cirilo Cruz Jr. doubled with two outs in the seventh.

Those two doubles and a ninthinning solo homer by Matt Sachse were the only extra-base hits by Lancaster, while Rancho Cucamonga collected seven doubles to go with a home run by Brandon Pernell.

Pernell, who went 4-for-5, gave the Quakes all the runs they would need with his third-inning, three-run blast over the the batter's eye in center field.

The homer came off Lancaster starter Jason Turman (1-8), who walked the first two batters he faced in the frame to set up Pernell.

Turman left the game two pitches after Pernell's homer with what appeared to be an elbow injury. Only half of his pitches (28 of 56) were for strikes in the game. Meanwhile, Turman allowed three hits and four walks while striking out three in his two-plus innings of work.

Rancho Cucamonga added some insurance in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring four runs on five hits in the fifth and five runs on six hits in the sixth. Four of the Quakes' six hits in the sixth inning were doubles and Rancho batted around in both innings.

Brian Lawrence (3-3) got the win for Rancho. He held the JetHawks to two earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five in five innings of work.