JetHawks Just Won’t Knuckle Under, 7-3

Sometimes it seems like the JetHawks’ hitters start slowly just to keep themselves from getting bored.

The JetHawks, who have taken pitchers apart at a league-leading clip in the first two weeks of the season, found themselves struggling with a crafty 28-year-old knuckleballer for five innings Thursday night at the Hangar.

But their attack finally clicked into place and they pounded out their normal allotment of runs, beating the Visalia Oaks, 7-3, before 3,162 to improve to a California League-best record of 11-4.

It was the same routine the JetHawks pulled Monday, when they had one run on two hits through five innings and ended up beating High Desert by 12.

The JetHawks rallied from an early three-run deficit Thursday to take their first lead in the bottom of the sixth. Eight consecutive batters reached base and the JetHawks scored five runs to take a 7-3 lead.

The go-ahead runs came when Shawn Buhner’s ground ball rolled through the legs of baserunner Carlos Villalobos--who was leading off second base--and into the outfield, driving in James Clifford from third and Villalobos to give the JetHawks a 5-3 lead.

“We’re too good of a team to be shut down for a whole game,” Buhner said. “It was just a matter of collecting ourselves and getting ourselves going.”

Scot Sealy and Jason Cook singled to load the bases and Mike Lanza drew a walk to drive in another run. Marcus Sturdivant’s single made it 7-3.

The JetHawks, who entered the game with a .308 average and have scored 73 runs in their last eight games, were unusually quiet against Visalia starter John Kelly for five innings.

The Oaks had taken a 3-0 lead on Chris Lemonis’ solo home run in the second and two unearned runs in the third. It was the largest deficit the JetHawks had faced in eight games, seven of which have been victories.

The JetHawks came back with a run in the third on Lanza’s sacrifice fly and one in the fourth when Villalobos’ shattered-bat single drove in Shane Monahan.

Visalia threatened to blow the game open against reliever Chris Beck in the sixth, but David Roberts flied out to left to leave the bases loaded.

Beck’s escape gave the JetHawks a chance to put on their usual scoring barrage and take starter Brett Hinchliffe, who allowed three runs and five hits in five innings, off the hook.

Beck (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings before yielding to Todd Niemeier in the eighth. Niemeier turned the game over to Tom Szimanski with one out in the ninth.

JetHawks 7, Visalia 3

Visalia: 012 000 000 -- 3 7 1

JetHawks: 001 105 00x -- 7 10 1

Kelly, Gomez (6), Duffy (6), Tuttle (8) and De La Rosa; Hinchliffe, Beck (6), Niemeier (8), Szimanski (9) and Sealy.

W--W--Beck (3-0).L--L--Kelly (0-2).

2B: V--Roberts. J--Monahan, Sealy, Cruz.HR:V--Lemonis (1).

Records: Visalia 5-10; JetHawks 11-4.