JETHAWKS REPORT : Feeling Too Good Just Might Bring On a Little Bad Luck

Baseball players superstitious? Naaaahh.

JetHawk outfielder Marcus Sturdivant, who came into Saturday night’s game with 11 hits in his previous four games, was asked how he had been feeling at the plate lately.

“I’m not feeling too good actually,” he said.

Now, Marcus, do you really mean that or are you just trying not to jinx yourself?

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do,” he admitted.

Sturdivant raised his average from a season-low .278 to .340 in four games.

*

Catcher Dusty Wathan, who was struggling with a .229 average, was showing off his new bat during batting practice. It is the same model as used by Seattle Mariner Edgar Martinez, last year’s American League batting champion.

“These are ordered with the hits already in them,” Wathan said.

*

Pitchers with local ties will face off in today’s series finale. Chris Beck, who pitched at The Master’s College, will start for the JetHawks against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes’ Cade Gaspar, who pitched at Pepperdine.

Second baseman Jason Cook took another day off Saturday, still sore from fouling a ball off his calf Thursday. Cook is expected back in the lineup today. . . . The JetHawks entered Saturday night’s game on a three-game errorless streak.

On Monday the JetHawks begin a three-game home series against the San Bernardino Stampede, which figures to join the JetHawks and Lake Elsinore in a three-team race for the Southern Division title.

JetHawk pitchers on Monday will get to take one of the two batting practice sessions they earned by pitching a pair of shutouts. The favorite for putting on the most-impressive display is left-hander Jeff Pearce, who was drafted as an outfielder.

Today’s Game:

Rancho Cucamonga (Cade Gaspar, 0-1, 5.06) at JetHawks (Chris Beck, 4-0, 1.54), 2:05.