Peanut Power

Williams' two homers stuff Storm down drain

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer

After the Lancaster JetHawks and Lake Elsinore Storm combined for a pitcher's worst nightmare 48 runs in the first two games of the series, it looked like the two teams might have a pitchers' duel on their hands Tuesday.

The two teams combined for five runs in six relatively wellpitched and well-played innings. But alas, this is Lancaster Municipal Stadium, after all, where pitcher's ERAs go to die.

The offensive three-ring circus that characterized the first two nights between the two teams suddenly reappeared, as Lancaster pulled away for a 10-4 victory to awaken an otherwise docile crowd of 2,341 at The Hangar.

Lancaster improved upon its minor league-worst record with the win, raising its mark to 44-78 overall and 21-31 in the second half.

The JetHawks finished with 14 hits in the game, bringing their three-game total to 53 to go along with their 44 runs. Patrick "Peanut" Williams led the way for the Lancaster offense Tuesday, belting a pair of two-run homers to push his season total to 20, including eight in 10 games against the Storm.

Most of the JetHawks' damage Tuesday came against the muchmaligned Storm bullpen, which allowed six of the seven runs in a disastrous bottom of the seventh for Lake Elsinore.

The top of the seventh was much kinder to the Storm, as Jay Hood's single scored the tying and go-ahead runs off Neil Longo (5-7), giving Lake Elsinore a 4-3 lead.

But that lead was short-lived, as Greg Connors drew a leadoff walk to bring Storm starter Jeremy Callier's night to an end.

Jason Hill (0-2) lasted only twothirds of an inning, but the damage was nearly irreversible, as he walked two and allowed an RBI single by Matt Sachse to tie the game.

Hill proceeded to hit Jermaine Clark with the bases loaded, forcing home Jason Regan with what proved to be the winning run.

The damage was far from over, though, as Harvey Hargrove's double off Brendon Cowsill cleared the bases and gave the JetHawks a four-run lead.

Williams put the capper on the inning and the night when he crushed a two-run homer over the left-field wall.

Even though the Lancaster offense overshadowed him just a little, starter Daron Kirkreit got the JetHawks off on the right foot.

Kirkreit, who returned to Lancaster Sunday after a month-long stint with at Class AA New Haven, allowed Lake Elsinore the first run of the game on back-toback two-out singles and a balk, which allowed Matt Curtis to score from third base.

But he settled down to to hold the Storm scoreless through the next four innings on three hits and a walk, allowing the JetHawks to come back and take a 3-1 lead into the sixth before he gave way to Longo, who is his tandem partner.

Lancaster grabbed the lead in the bottom half of the first, when Williams belted his first two-run homer to center field.

Alex Fernandez added an RBI single in the fifth.

Lancaster failed to put the game away, though, stranding nine runners in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, including seven in scoring position.

Uploaded August 18, 1999