JetHawks Blow Past Bakersfield

They say games in the hitter-friendly California League are never over. Especially not in the wind tunnel the Lancaster JetHawks call a home ballpark.

So Tuesday night’s 20-17 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise to the announced crowd of 3,019 at the Hangar.

The JetHawks (13-13) trailed by eight runs at the seventh-inning stretch before unleashing a remarkable, 12-run, 16-batter, 10-hit outburst in the bottom of the inning.

Shawn Buhner, Mike Martin and Joel Ramirez each had two hits in the inning and the JetHawks finished with 22 in the game. Ramirez and Dusty Wathan each hit two-run homers.

“We all kept hitting and everyone was laughing,” Buhner said. “Then the next thing you know, you look up and we are two runs ahead. . . . It’s like a slap in the face. You can’t believe what’s happening.”

The last eight runs of the inning scored after there were two out and none on.

Denny Bonilla (2-3) of the JetHawks struck out the side in the eighth, struck out two more in the ninth and had eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Buhner, who had five hits, has 13 hits in his past 24 at-bats, lifting his average to .377.

Wathan, who had four hits and four RBIs, has 16 hits in 28 at-bats during an eight-game hitting streak.

Carlos Villalobos, who had three hits, has 10 hits in 21 at-bats.

Chris Dean had three hits and is batting .363.

Bakersfield outfielder Mike Glendenning, who went to Crespi and Pierce, hit two home runs.

The JetHawks hammered Bakersfield left-hander Jason Myers, taking a 5-1 lead after two innings.

Kevin Gryboski, who has been the least effective JetHawk starter, allowed eight runs in 4 1/3 innings and his earned-run average rose to 11.62.

The Blaze got to Gryboski for single runs in the second, third and fourth, then blew him away with five in the fifth, two on a home run by Damon Minor, who leads the league with 10 homers and 28 RBIs.