JetHawks Hit Low, High Desert Wins

The Lancaster JetHawks opened the most important home series in their two-year existence Wednesday night.

A crowd of 5,503 turned out at Lancaster Municipal Stadium but the JetHawk team that climbed into a first-place tie with the High Desert Mavericks in the Valley Division of the California League was missing.

High Desert posted a 6-2 victory without breaking a sweat against the JetHawks, who won 10 of their previous 11 games but looked sleepy after a rare day off.

High Desert (38-21) took possession of the division lead with pitchers Jason Robbins, Brett Backlund and Don Peters combining on a three-hitter.

Joel Ramirez had two of Lancaster’s hits, both doubles. Ivan Montane (1-1) took the loss.

The JetHawks (37-22) appeared spellbound. Right-hander Robbins (6-4) allowed two runs on three hits in six innings.

If this were a game of billiards, High Desert had all the trick shots. And the JetHawks did a nice job setting them up.

Center fielder Joe Mathis and left fielder Josh Watts set the tone in the first inning by not coming close to catching Mike Stoner’s lazy fly to the gap with two out. Stanton Cameron lined a single to center, scoring Stoner to make it 1-0.

The Mavericks made it 3-0 in the second when Jason Conti delivered a two-run single. Montane threw a good pitch, jamming the left-handed Conti, but his blooper into left field fell just out of shortstop Luis Molina’s reach.

Scoring on the play were Bo Durkac, aboard on an error, and Junior Spivey, awarded first after Montane’s pitch grazed his uniform.

“To me, we gave them the first three runs,” JetHawk Manager Rick Burleson said. “That fly ball’s got to be caught. We can’t kick the ball around. We had three bad innings.”

High Desert chipped out three more runs in similar fashion in the fifth. Stoner trotted home on a wild pitch after Ron Hartman’s two-out parachute shot to right sent him from first to third.

After Durkac walked, Gary Mota’s sharp grounder bounced inches inside the third-base line for a two-run double and a 6-0 lead.