VISALIA, CA - Bo Takahashi had set down 12 men in a row between the first and fifth innings before Mylz Jones doubled with one out in the top of the fifth to break up the streak. Takahashi worked around the extra-base hit to keep the JetHawks off the board
VISALIA, CA - Bo Takahashi had set down 12 men in a row between the first and fifth innings before Mylz Jones doubled with one out in the top of the fifth to break up the streak. Takahashi worked around the extra-base hit to keep the JetHawks off the board and retain a 1-0 Rawhide lead.
But the Rawhide committed two costly errors in the sixth inning that allowed four runs to score. Takahashi (L, 5-5) was credited with only one earned run out of the four but fell for third time in his last four starts. The first error acme with runners on the corners and one out and a softly hit ground ball to the right side. Second baseman Galli Cribbs Jr. shuffled to his left and tried to field, spin, and throw to second all in one motion to start a double play and potentially end the inning. But the ball popped out of his hand on the transfer and a run scored, tying the game 1-1.
On the next pitch, Roberto Ramos hit a hard ground ball right to first-baseman Austin Byler that seemed ticketed for an inning-ending double play. But the ball went through Byler's legs and scored another run to give the JetHawks the lead. From there, a Wes Rogers double and a Jones single brought home two more runs to give the JetHawks a 4-1 lead that they wouldn't let slip.
Takahashi ended up going six innings, allowing four runs, one earned, on five hits while walking none and striking out four.
Lancaster (51-44/13-12) would score seven more runs over the next three innings against a combination of J.R. Bradley and Cameron Gann to take an insurmountable lead and end Visalia's winning streak at four games.
Visalia (47-48/11-14) struggled to score against Peter Lambert (W, 9-7), but had opportunities. Lambert had runners on in every inning except his final frame in the sixth, but prevented the Rawhide from bunching hits and stranded five runners on base. The only run Visalia scored against Lambert was in the bottom of the first inning when Sergio Alcántara singled on a line drive up the middle that hopped by Yonathan Daza in center, going down as an error on Daza and moving Alcantara to third. Matt Jones singled Alcantara home on a chopper that hopped over the head of Garrett Hampson to put the Rawhide up 1-0 at the time.
Visalia's late offensive support came from a two-run single by Austin Byler in the eighth inning and an RBI single by Morozowski in the bottom of the ninth. But it was too little too late for the Rawhide.
Morozowski finished with his second consecutive three-hit game, finishing with two doubles and a RBI. But Morozowski was the only Rawhide player with multiple hits, as Lambert and three bullpen arms for the JetHawks were able to scatter the eight hits they allowed.
The Rawhide will look for the series win in the rubber match of the series tomorrow morning. The game will feature Visalia LHP Cody Reed (2-4, 4.18) and Lancaster RHP Trey Killian (6-6, 7.55) with first pitch at 11 AM. Tickets are still available on rawhidebaseball.com.
