JetHawks Rock Blaze Pen, Beat Bako 11-4
April 21, 2013 - California League (CalL1)
Bakersfield Blaze News Release
For the first time all season, the Blaze pen looked human, and the Lancaster Jethawks used two late rallies to score seven runs, turning a close game into an 11-4 blowout of the Bakersfield Blaze on Saturday night in the Antelope Valley.
The game began with two stud pitchers locking horns for two innings. Carlos Contreras (L, 1-1) struck out three through those two frames, and Lancaster's Luis Cruz (W, 1-0). From the 3rd inning on, however, this one was all Lancaster.
In bottom of the 3rd, the Jethawks got on the board, using two Blaze errors, a double and a triple to quickly plate three and go up 3-0. Carlos Contreras settled down after that Jethawks rally to retire nine of the last ten batters he faced, but the Jethawks had other plans.
The Jethawks added a run in the 6th off Jimmy Moran when Preston Tucker homered to put Lancaster up 4-0, and the Blaze countered with a pair of singles and a RBI-grounder in the top of the next frame to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The bottom of the 7th and 8th, however, marked the first time this season the Blaze bullpen simply did not have their best stuff. Moran began the 7th, issuing a pair of walks and allowing a single, and Mike Dennhardt was summoned to try to get the Blaze out of a mess. Delino DeShields dropped a bunt down, and Dennhardt threw wildly, allowing a pair of runs to score, and signaling what may have been the point where the contest slipped away. The Jethawks followed one out later with a two-run double and a run-scoring single, putting up five runs in the frame, and going up comfortably, 9-1.
Bakersfield tried to get close with three unearned runs in the 8th, all scoring on a grounder that rolled past the Jethawks third baseman, but Lancaster countered with two more in the bottom half, going up by the final margin, 11-4.
In all, the teams combined to commit seven errors in the game, marking the most the Blaze have committed AND the most any opponent has made in any game all year.
The loss snaps Bakersfield's short three-game winning streak, and drops the club to 5-12 overall. The Blaze do still have a chance to take the series from Lancaster with a 2pm afternoon contest on Sunday.
Make sure to listen LIVE to that broadcast, as Dan Besbris brings the play by play on internet only via the Blaze homepage Multimedia Gameday Audio link -- pregame show begins at 1:50pm.
California League Stories from April 21, 2013
- Series Sweep of Storm Complete in 9-7 Win - Visalia Rawhide
- Quakes Split with Mavs - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Ports Stun Modesto Late to Win Series - Modesto Nuts
- Nuts Offense Stalls in 5-2 Loss to Ports - Modesto Nuts
- Giants Take Series from 66ers with 8-3 Victory - San Jose Giants
- JetHawks Walk-Off with Aplin's Double - Lancaster JetHawks
- Marlowe Masterful in 4-2 Giants Victory - San Jose Giants
- Ports Explode Late to Down Nuts 9-1 - Modesto Nuts
- DeShields a Triple Threat in JetHawks Win - Lancaster JetHawks
- Von Schamann Earns First Win for Quakes - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- 8th Inning Rally Lifts 'Hide to 4-3 Victory - Visalia Rawhide
- JetHawks Rock Blaze Pen, Beat Bako 11-4 - Bakersfield Blaze
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