Runs in eighth down Perez, JetHawks

VISALIA, Calif. - The JetHawks lost a late one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth and fell to Visalia Rawhide, 6-5, on Thursday night at Rawhide Ballpark.
 
Pitching near his hometown of Hanford, Calif., Tyson Perez cruised through his first two innings before trouble found him in the eighth.
 
Perez (1-2) walked Jake Lamb to start the inning and Ryan Court followed with a double off the wall in right field to put runners at second and third with nobody out for catcher Michael Perez. After falling behind in the count 3-0, Perez grounded a ball to second base allowing Lamb to score and tie the game.
 
Later in the inning, with two outs, Perez threw a wild pitch to allow Court to score and put the Rawhide ahead.
 
Preston Tucker led off the ninth inning with a hit and Tyler Heineman later singled him to second base but closer Jake Barrett struck out the side to end the game and pick up his 10th save.
 
The JetHawks left a total of 13 runners on base and were 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Delino DeShields struggled at the top of the order going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.
 
Lancaster had taken the lead in the seventh inning with a Matt Duffy RBI-single. Andrew Aplin had leff off the inning with a hit against reliever Blake Cooper. Aplin then stole second base and came around to score on the single.
 
Duffy drove in three runs in the game with three singles, including a two-RBI hit to tie the game, 4-4, in the fourth inning.
 
Both starting pitchers struggled with command. David Rollins lasted only three innings and allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked two.
 
Visalia starter Kyle Winkler allowed four runs (one eanred) over 3 2/3 innings. He walked a season-high six batters.
 
Tucker and Heineman each drove in runs in the second inning to put Lancaster on the board.
 
With Inland Empire's win in High Desert on Thursday, the JetHawks fell back into second place in the South Division, a half a game back of the 66ers.
 
Lancaster (23-17) and Visalia (25-15) play the third game of the four game series on Friday night at 7:00 pm. The no-hitter duo of Luis Cruz and Kyle Hallock will pitch for the JetHawks. All the action can be heard on AM 1380 and jethawks.com.
 
Don't miss a moment of the 2013 season as the JetHawks look to repeat as California League Champions. Season tickets and great ticket packages are available now. To order, call (661) 726-5400 or visit jethawks.com.