JetHawks Slammed by Modesto

Pinch hitter Juan Polanco hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to give the Modesto A’s a 12-9 victory over the Lancaster JetHawks in a Cailfornia League game Thursday night at the Hangar.

Modesto loaded the bases with none out against reliever Denny Bonilla, but Bonilla struck out the next two batters before Polanco hit the A’s second grand slam of the game. Bonilla struck out the next batter.

The JetHawks took a 9-8 lead in the eighth when Joe Mathis doubled home Tarrik Brock with two out.

Mathis had three hits and drove in three runs as the JetHawks rallied from a 5-0 deficit.

JetHawk right-hander Kevin Gryboski made his fourth start since coming off the disabled list last month. He is still trying to get back on track after missing a month because of a sore arm.

After working out of a first-inning jam, Gryboski allowed a run-scoring single to No. 9 hitter Jose Soriano to trail, 1-0, in the second.

In the third, he allowed consecutive singles to Jose Ortiz and Jose Castro and walked A.J. Hinch to load the bases. T.R. Marcinczyk lined Gryboski’s second pitch for a grand slam to make it 5-0.

Gryboski was replaced after the third inning, having thrown 66 pitches, 29 of them balls. Gryboski could retire only one of seven batters during the A’s scoring spree.

But the JetHawks cut the margin to 5-2 on Josh Watts’ two-run double in the fourth. After Hinch homered in the fifth to make it 6-2, Lancaster picked up two more in the bottom of the fifth.

Tarrik Brock and Joel Ramirez opened the seventh with singles. One out later, Carlos Villalobos belted a 2-and-2 pitch from Todd Bussa over the scoreboard for a three-run homer that gave Lancaster an 8-6 lead.

Modesto scored a runner from third on a wild pitch and Soriano singled home the tying run in the eighth.