JetHawks Climb Into Tiebreaker

Can’t ask for much more drama than this.

After the JetHawks beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 7-3, on Wednesday night before 4,453 at the Hangar, they pulled even with the Quakes in the race for the California League’s Southern Division first-half title with four games to go.

Tonight the JetHawks and Quakes face off one more time to see who will take a one-game lead into the final weekend before the break.

“This is a lot of fun,” JetHawk Manager Dave Brundage said. “You will remember something like this the rest of your life.”

The JetHawks will send left-hander Trey Moore to the mound against Rancho Cucamonga’s Ryan Van De Weg.

Moore was among the best pitchers in the Cal League last season (14-6, 3.09 earned-run average) and he spent most of this year in double A until he was sent back to Class A a week ago. Van De Weg has a 5.07 ERA and the JetHawks have won both games he started against them this season.

“If [Moore] goes out and pitches the way he is capable of pitching, we stand a very good chance,” Brundage said. “When he’s at his best he’s as dominant a pitcher as there is in this league.”

The JetHawks scored five runs in the third inning against Rancho Cucamonga’s Kenny Henderson.

Henderson walked the first two hitters and gave up runs on Jose Cruz Jr.’s single and Jesus Marquez’s double. After an out, James Clifford drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Scot Sealy and Adonis Harrison each added two-out hits to drive in runs.

The 5-0 lead should have been all Ken Cloude needed, but the JetHawk pitcher with the best control walked five in five innings--loading the bases with three walks in the fifth.

Cloude (8-2) gave up a two-run single to Antonio Fernandez before getting out of the jam. Cloude, having thrown nearly 100 pitches, was replaced by Tom Szimanski.

Szimanski has pitched in a closing role most of the season, but Brundage’s use of him in the sixth inning highlighted the importance of the game.

The JetHawks built the lead to 7-2 with runs in the sixth and seventh as Szimanski retired the first eight hitters until an eighth-inning double to Sean Watkins. Third baseman Carlos Villalobos made throwing errors on back-to-back plays, allowing a run.

Left fielder Shane Monahan helped the JetHawks avoid further damage by making a running catch of a fly ball at the warning track.

John Thompson relieved with one out in the ninth and induced a game-ending double play on his second pitch to get his sixth save.

JetHawks 7, Rancho Cucamonga 3 Rancho Cucamonga 000 020 010 3 4 0 JetHawks 005 001 10x 7 13 3 Henderson, Hammerschmidt (3), Bussa (7), White (8) and McKinnis; Cloude, Szimanski (6), Daniels (9), Thompson (9) and Sealy. Cloude (8-2). L--Henderson (0-1). S--Thompson (6). 2B: RC--Watkins; J--Sturdivant, Cruz, Marquez, Sealy 2. Records: Rancho Cucamonga 35-31; JetHawks 35-31.