JetHawks Floored by Kirgan’s Big Swings

Challenging hitters has proven to be a key to Marino Santana’s recent hot streak. But as the JetHawk right-hander learned Thursday, some hitters are best left unchallenged.

Chris Kirgan hit a pair of two-run home runs on first-pitch fastballs, helping the High Desert Mavericks to an 8-6 victory over the JetHawks before 2,467 at Maverick Stadium.

The JetHawks rallied in the ninth, scoring two runs with two out and bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate. But catcher Andy Augustine, a defensive substitution, grounded out.

The JetHawks (31-29), who moved into a first-place tie on Wednesday, moved right back out, falling a game behind the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League’s Southern Division with 10 games left in the first half.

Lancaster made only four errors in the previous eight games, but made four in this game.

After allowing only 2.5 runs per game in the past eight, the JetHawks found themselves down by three after four batters.

Santana allowed just one run in 13 innings in his two previous starts, largely because he made an effort to throw more fastballs. It didn’t take long for that to backfire on him against High Desert.

The Mavericks scored on an error and a double in the first inning before Kirgan drove Santana’s first pitch to center field, clearing the 30-foot high hitters’ background 401 feet away to make it 3-0.

In in the third, Kirgan again came up with a runner on and drilled a first-pitch fastball, this time over the right-field fence. Kirgan’s 10th home run gave the Mavericks a 5-0 lead.

“He made some pitches to Kirgan that we haven’t made over the last few nights,” Manager Dave Brundage said. “He left it down the middle of the plate and you don’t do that in this park and get away with it, or in any park for that matter.”

Santana tried a different approach in the fourth, starting Kirgan with a split-finger fastball, but he lined that to right for a single.

In 5 1/3 innings, Santana was charged with seven runs.

The JetHawk offense was shut down by left-hander Brian Brewer, making his first start since being sent from double A.

Brewer pitched six innings, holding the JetHawks to four hits and a pair of runs that scored on Luis Figueroa’s double in the fourth.

JetHawk second baseman Jason Cook ran his hitting streak to 13 games with a run-scoring single in the ninth.

High Desert 8, JetHawks 6

JetHawks: 000 200 202 -- 6 10 4

High Desert: 312 001 01x -- 8 10 0

Santana, Gould (6) and Wathan, Augustine (8); Brewer, Olszewski (7), Snyder (8), Dean (9) and Newstrom.

W--Brewer (1-0).L--Santana (4-6). S--Dean (2).

2B: J--Figueroa; HD--Berry, Newstrom. 3B: J--Sturdivant. HR:HD--Kirgan 2 (10).

Records: JetHawks 31-29; High Desert 30-31.

* JETHAWKS REPORT: C15