JetHawks Fall Again, Await the Cavalry

The JetHawks were looking to end a skid of six losses in seven games Thursday night.

Who better to get the job done than their stopper, Ken Cloude, who took an 11-2 record and 3.76 earned-run average to the mound against High Desert at the Hangar.

But after Cloude was roughed up for seven runs on 10 hits en route to a 10-5 loss in front of 4,012, it looks like the JetHawks must resort to extreme measures.

Seattle Mariners’ left-hander Randy Johnson will start for Lancaster tonight in a two-inning rehabilitation assignment.

If the Mariner ace and 1995 American League Cy Young winner can’t help them, perhaps Mariner Chris Bosio can. The veteran right-hander, battling back from knee surgery, is scheduled to follow Johnson.

“It couldn’t hurt us,” JetHawk Manager Dave Brundage said. “It might lift our spirits to see these guys pitch.”

Cloude, who had won nine consecutive decisions and was trying to become the third pitcher in the minor leagues to reach 12 victories this season, was greeted with back-to-back doubles by Doug Newstrom and Chris Bryant to open the game.

One out later, Chris Kirgan belted a two-run home run over the 410-foot sign in center field to make it 3-0.

After the Mavericks picked up another run on three singles in the second, Cloude unraveled in the third. He allowed two more runs as he walked two, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and yielded two more singles before Bryant grounded into an inning-ending double play.

After pitching a scoreless fourth, Cloude was lifted with one out in the fifth and High Desert ahead, 6-1, after giving up a leadoff triple to Hodge, who was four for five, a sacrifice fly and a single.

The JetHawks (14-15), who are 0-4 on this homestand and fell below .500 for the first time in the second half of the season since June 27, didn’t really threaten.

They scored single runs in the first, fourth and fifth, and closed to 8-5 in the seventh on an RBI single by Scott Smith and a fielder’s choice grounder by Chris Dean.

But the Mavericks, who had 15 hits, answered with runs in the eighth and ninth.

High Desert 10, JetHawks 5

High Desert: 312 010 111 -- 10 15 2

JetHawks: 100 110 200 -- 5 13 1

Smith, Montgomery (8) and Newstrom; Cloude, Clifford (5), Thompson (8) and Sealy.

W--Smith (3-2). L--Cloude (11-3).

2B: HD--Newstrom, Bryant, Hodge; J--Clifford, Cook. 3B:HD--Hodge. HR:HD--Kirgan (18), Bogle (15).

Records: High Desert 16-13; JetHawks 14-15.

* JETHAWK REPORT: C19