San Jose Is Thrown for Loss by JetHawks

The Lancaster JetHawks, who had been putting on a hitting clinic in the first week of the season, finally showed they can pitch a little bit, too.

Bob Worley threw strikes, kept the ball down in the strike zone and used his defense to go seven strong innings in the JetHawks’ 6-0 victory over the San Jose Giants on Friday night before 1,859 at Municipal Stadium.

Reliever John Daniels, who hasn’t allowed a run in eight innings, pitched the final two to complete the JetHawks’ first shutout.

The JetHawks (6-3) have taken two of three in each of their three series and guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record on this season-opening 12-game trip.

Worley, 25, the JetHawks’ oldest starting pitcher, showed his poise and experience by lasting seven innings with only 93 pitches. Three times, he needed fewer than 10 pitches to retire the side.

Worley (1-0) gave up five hits and no runs, struck out two and walked two.

“His command is outstanding and he gets ahead of people,” Manager Dave Brundage said. “He probably has one of the best sinkers in the league and he just throws

that and a 90-mile-an-hour fastball and that’s all he needs.”

Worley, who lasted 5 1/3 innings in his first start, is the only starter to make it past the fifth.

“He’s easy to catch and makes it really quick and we get a lot of ground balls,” catcher Dusty Wathan said.

Worley’s most-difficult inning was the seventh, when the Giants loaded the bases with two out. Worley induced a broken-bat ground ball to get out of the inning.

In the third and fourth, Wathan helped extinguish rallies by throwing out runners attempting to steal third.

The JetHawks took a 2-0 lead in the second on Jason Cook’s two-run homer off Bobby Rector (0-2). In the third, Marcus Sturdivant walked, stole second and third, and scored on a single by Jose Cruz Jr.

Cruz went three for four with two runs batted in, raising his team-leading average to .447 and extending his hitting streak to seven games.

In the fifth, Mike Lanza led off with a bunt single and Sturdivant added a hit, stretching his hitting streak to eight games. Shane Monahan drove in Lanza with a groundout and Cruz singled home Sturdivant.

The JetHawks increased the lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh on a double by Cruz and a run-scoring single by Carlos Villalobos, who has also hit safely in eight consecutive games.

San Jose closer Russ Ortiz, a Montclair Prep graduate, pitched the ninth inning, striking out three and walking one.

JetHawks 6, Giants 0

JetHawks 021 020 100 -- 6 10 1

San Jose 000 000 000 -- 0 8 1

Worley, Daniels (8) and Wathan; Rector, Schram (5), Villano (8), Ortiz (9) and Galarza.

W--Worley (1-0).L--Rector (0-2).

2B: J--Cruz.HR:J--Cook (2).

Records: JetHawks 6-3; San Jose 4-5.