Lake Elsinore Punches Out Wolcott and Beats Up on JetHawks, 13-10

The JetHawk hitters did all they could to try to keep Bob Wolcott from his first California League loss in two years, but it wasn’t enough.

After trimming a seven-run deficit to one in the eighth inning, the JetHawks lost, 13-10, to the Lake Elsinore Storm before 3,714 Wednesday night at the Hangar.

Wolcott, a Seattle Mariner starter pitching for the JetHawks because his normal spot in the major league rotation fell during the All-Star break, had a forgettable visit back to the Cal League, where he was 14-8 in 1994.

Wolcott left after six innings with the JetHawks down by four runs, and they trailed by seven after the seventh. The JetHawks scored five times in the seventh and twice in the eighth, but the Storm kept them at arm’s length with a run in the eighth and back-to-back solo homers in the top of the ninth.

The JetHawks (13-9) had runners at second and third but Jason Cook struck out to end the game.

The JetHawks trailed, 10-3, in the seventh when they rallied for five runs on five hits.

After the Storm made it 11-8 on Todd Takayoshi’s run-scoring double--his fifth hit--the JetHawks scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to close to 11-10.

Tony Moeder and Bret Hemphill hit homers in the ninth, giving the Storm a 13-10 lead and five homers for the second consecutive game.

They hit three homers off Wolcott for a 4-3 lead after five.

In the sixth, Wolcott gave up singles to Takayoshi, Danny Buxbaum and Jason Herrick, loading the bases with none out.

In the same predicament, Wolcott retired the Cleveland Indians’ Albert Belle, Eddie Murray and Jim Thome in Game 1 of the American League championship series last October. He wasn’t as successful against Moeder, who cleared the bases with a double.

Wolcott was pulled after six innings. He gave up seven runs, all earned, on nine hits, including three homers. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

JetHawk reliever Clint Gould gave up three runs in the seventh.

JetHawk outfielder Shane Monahan had three hits to run his hitting streak to 13 games.

Lake Elsinore 13, JetHawks 10

Lake Elsinore: 112 003 312 -- 13 16 3

JetHawks: 201 000 520 -- 10 17 1

Sebach, Castillo (7) and Hemphill; Wolcott, Gould (7), E. Clifford (7), Thompson (8) and Sealy.

W--Sebach (4-1).L--Wolcott (0-1).

2B: LE--Takayoshi, Moeder, Buxbaum; J--Monahan, Marquez, Buhner.3B:J--Cook.HR:LE--Takayoshi 2 (8), Herrick (3), Moeder (12), Hemphill (13).

Records: Lake Elsinore 11-11; JetHawks 13-9.