LANCASTER, Calif. - The Lancaster JetHawks scored runs in five separate innings on Thursday night in completing a sweep of the Stockton Ports at The Hangar. Lancaster used a steady offensive attack and banged out 12 hits in handing the Ports a 7-2 loss to close out a three-game series.The
LANCASTER, Calif. - The Lancaster JetHawks scored runs in five separate innings on Thursday night in completing a sweep of the Stockton Ports at The Hangar. Lancaster used a steady offensive attack and banged out 12 hits in handing the Ports a 7-2 loss to close out a three-game series.
The Ports opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Nick Allen doubled to open the ballgame and scored two batters later on an RBI groundout by Austin Beck. Lancaster fired back in the bottom of the first as Matt McLaughlin hit into a fielder's choice force play to score Carlos Herrera who'd singled earlier in the frame to tie the game at 1-1.
Lancaster went on to score the next six runs in the game beginning in the third. With one out, Matt Hearn walked and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Ryan Vilade that gave the JetHawks a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, with runners at second and third and one out, Taylor Snyder hit a sac-fly to left to make it a 3-1 game. Joel Diaz followed with an RBI double to left to run the Lancaster lead to 4-1.
Ports starter Joel Seddon (0-2) suffered the loss in the contest, going four innings and allowing four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out three.
JetHawks starter Ryan Rolison (2-0) induced a double-play to end the second inning. Beginning with that twin-killing, Rolison, set down 11 consecutive batters to take him one-out deep into the sixth. Rolison would earn the win, going six innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out four.
Jake Bray took over for Stockton in the fifth inning and gave up back-to-back one-out singles followed by a sac-fly to McLaughlin that brought a fifth JetHawks run across. Bray worked into the sixth and gave up a leadoff walk to Todd Czinege followed by an RBI double to Snyder. Snyder scored two batters later on a fielding error by Beck in center field to run the JetHawks lead to 7-1.
Bray worked 1 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one.
Hayden Roberts took over for Lancaster in the seventh and gave up a leadoff home run to Hunter Hargrove that brought the Ports to within five runs at 7-2. Roberts, though, would go on to set down the next three hitters to begin a stretch of nine consecutive Ports hitters set down by JetHawks pitching to close out the ballgame. Moises Ceja pitched a perfect eighth and Nick Kennedy tossed a perfect ninth to close out the contest.
Will Gilbert and Sam Sheehan combined to pitch 2 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game for the Ports.
The Ports will look to get back on track Friday night when their road trip shifts to Inland Empire for a three-game series with the 66ers. Xavier Altamirano (1-2, 5.83 ERA) makes the start in the series opener for Stockton, opposed by Inland Empire right-hander Cooper Criswell (0-3, 5.32 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.
