'Hawks Power past Quakes in Opener
August 29, 2018 - California League (CalL1)
Lancaster JetHawks News Release
LANCASTER, Calif. - The JetHawks stayed hot at home as a new series began Tuesday night, using four home runs to beat Rancho Cucamonga, 8-5, at The Hangar. Matt Dennis allowed just one run over seven innings to earn the win on the mound.
The power was evident from the start. Manny Melendez led off the game with a home run, his second leadoff homer of the season. Lancaster (36-28, 69-65) added two more in the inning. Bret Boswell homered to right field, and Vince Fernandez capped it off with an RBI single.
Boswell hit his second home run of the game to begin the third inning, putting the JetHawks on top, 4-0. Boswell, who was named a South Atlantic League Postseason All-Star Tuesday, has four multi-home run games this season.
Max George, who had three hits in the game, drove in a run with a double in the fifth inning. He scored later on a passed ball to give Lancaster a 6-0 lead. All six runs came against Rancho's Max Gamboa (3-2).
Rancho Cucamonga (47-17, 82-52) scored just once in the first seven innings on Jared Walker's fifth-inning home run. That was the only run Matt Dennis (8-12) allowed. He went seven innings for the third time this season to pick up his first win since July 20.
The Quakes made things interesting late, pulling within two in the top of the eighth inning on a Connor Wong home run. Lancaster answered in the bottom of the inning, as Max George hammered a two-run shot to centerfield.
Rancho scored twice more in the top of the ninth, but Alexander Guillen struck out two of the three men he faced to close it out. Guillen earned his first save of the year.
Lancaster's win and Inland Empire's loss Tuesday night give the JetHawks a magic number of three. They lead the 66ers in the standings by four games with six left to play.
The JetHawks ended Rancho's seven-game winning streak. The teams have met 10 times so far in August, with the home team winning each contest.
The penultimate home game of the regular season is Wednesday night for Lancaster. Brandon Gold (9-8) goes for his tenth win opposite Rancho's Leo Crawford (7-0). First pitch from The Hangar is 6:35 pm.
California League Stories from August 29, 2018
- Storm Send Sixers to Fifth Straight Defeat, Win Series Opener 3-1 - Inland Empire 66ers
- Nuts Take Series Opener 8-3 - Modesto Nuts
- Big First Pushes Nuts to Win - Visalia Rawhide
- Ports Top Giants, 6-4 - San Jose Giants
- Siddall Swings Ports to 6-4 Victory - Stockton Ports
- Rancho's Winning Streak Ends in Lancaster on Tuesday - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- 'Hawks Power past Quakes in Opener - Lancaster JetHawks
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