Williams grabs HR record in win

By DAVE RASBACH
Valley Press Staff Writer

Patrick Williams belted his second homer in two nights and 26th of the season to tie Saturday's game in the eighth, and in the process break the JetHawks' singleseason home run record, eclipsing the mark set by James Clifford in 1997.

Lancaster made the blast count, winning the game 7-3 in the 11th inning before 4,126 fans at The San Bernardino Ranch when Joel Ramirez hit an RBI single into center field to start a four-run rally.

"We've done pretty good as far as setting records this year," JetHawks manager Darrin Garner said. "He's been swinging the bat pretty well. The best I've seen him hit."

With their sixth consecutive win over San Bernardino, the JetHawks again kept the Stampede from clinching the South Division second-half title. With High Desert's victory over Bakersfield, the Mavericks and Stampede enter the final day of the regular season tied in the South Division standings.

If no winner emerges today, the two teams will play a one-game playoff Monday at High Desert to determine the division winner and who will play host to their threegame first-round playoff series, which begins Tuesday.

It looked early Saturday like the Stampede might take a step toward clinching the division title, holding a 3-1 lead entering the eighth inning. But Williams had other plans, crushing Tim Harrell's initial offering over the leftfield wall with Harvey Hargrove already aboard after a leadoff single.

Making Williams' record even more impressive is that all 26 home runs have come since the 6foot-3, 210-pounder joined the team at the all-star break. Prior to that, Williams had spent the majority of the first half on the Class A Wisconsin disabled list with a broken hand after being hit by an inside pitch in the first week of the season.

"It's amazing what he's done since he got here," Garner said.

Since joining the JetHawks, Williams has hit .331 and homered every 10.2 at-bats (26 in 266 atbats). His home run Saturday was his fifth in nine games against San Bernardino and his third at The Ranch.

Uploaded September 7, 1999