First-place JetHawks win again

Lancaster won its second consecutive game to open the second half with a victory over Stockton.

The only problem was the Lancaster JetHawks wouldn't cooperate.

Lancaster rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning off Kendall to grab a 5-2 victory over the Ports on Phil Kendall Guarantee Win Night.

As a result of Kendall (0-8) failing to convert on his promise to pick up his first victory of the season, the Ports had to give each of the 1,754 fans in attendance at Billy Hebert Field a complimentary ticket to the team's July 5 doubleheader against Bakersfield.

The JetHawks (2-0, 25-47) were more than happy to spoil the day for Kendall and the Ports (0-2, 34-38) as they not only stayed perfect in the second half, but also won their third consecutive game for the first time since the second, third and fourth games of the season April 9-12. Lancaster has won five of six since ending a franchiselong 12-game losing streak.

"Everybody is feeling pretty good about that," Lancaster starter Brandon Parker said. "There's no doubt about it."

Parker (5-3) ended a personal three-game losing streak by holding the Ports to two runs on nine hits and a walk in his seven innings of work.

In the process, he picked up his first victory since May 12 at Lake Elsinore. Parker hasn't gone longer than six innings in his six starts since then and has seen his ERA swell from an impressive 1.98 following the May 12 start to 4.79 entering Friday.

"I heard about that promotion, where they guaranteed a victory for (Kendall)," Parker said. "I said to myself, `Uh uh. This is my game.' "

Kendall was attempting to break a personal 11-game losing streak that started last season while he was in Class A Beloit. His last victory came July 6 against Peoria in a Midwest League game.

For the record, Gerald Haddock of the 1888 Troy Trojans of the International League holds the record for the longest minor league losing streak with 20 consecutive losses. Philadelphia minor leaguer Rob Burger just ended a 17-game losing streak Saturday in the Gulf Coast League.

It looked early like Kendall, who has pitched relatively well recently with a 4.08 ERA in June entering Friday, might also end his losing slide. He carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning after retiring the first six Lancaster batters who came to the plate with runners in scoring position.

The JetHawks put him in early trouble when Jermaine Clark drew a walk and Harvey Hargrove doubled to give Lancaster runners on second and third with no outs. But neither crossed home plate when Mike Marchiano bounced out, Shawn McCorkle popped out and Greg Connors struck out.

"You're not going to come through all the time," JetHawks manager Darrin Garner said. "If you don't, you just hope the guy behind you picks you up. If that doesn't happen, then it's a bad inning."

That inning seemed to give confidence to Kendall, who retired 12 of 15 batters in the next four innings.

But things suddenly fell apart for Kendall and the Ports in the sixth.

After Marchiano led off the frame with a single back up the middle and stole second base, the JetHawks picked up three consecutive two-out RBI base hits to wrestle away the lead.

"That was beautiful," Garner said. "We've talked a lot about intensity recently, and the kids stayed in there and got the job done."

Alex Fernandez was first to come through when he blooped a two-strike single into right field to score Marchiano. Fernandez then scored the tying run on Jason Regan's opposite-field double, before Regan came home with the gamewinning run on Matt Sachse's double to right field.

That spelled the end for Kendall and his hopes of ending the losing streak.

Lancaster added two unearned insurance runs in the ninth on two of the Ports' three errors.

Justin Kaye pitched a scoreless ninth to snare his second save in as many nights and his 10th of the season.