Another Wild Night Pays Off for JetHawks

One night after the Lancaster JetHawks recorded the only shutout this season at the Hangar, another odd occurrence happened on Thursday.

No home runs were hit with the strong wind that blew from left to right field.

The JetHawks (50-47, 17-10 in the second half) handed the San Bernardino Storm its 11th loss in 12 games, 7-3, scoring three runs on wild pitches, two on throwing errors and another on an unusual catcher’s error in front of 5,014 fans.

JetHawk starter Denny Stark, who went eight innings and struck out 10 in his victorious debut July 6, couldn’t make it out of the third inning.

He allowed five hits, including three doubles, walked four, hit a batter and allowed three runs--one on a passed ball--before he left with an unknown injury with one out in the third.

San Bernardino starter Kym Ashworth (0-2) lasted five innings, teasing the JetHawks until he got too cute.

He stranded six Lancaster runners through four innings. The JetHawks did score single runs in the second and fourth on a wild pitch and an error to cut San Bernardino’s lead to 3-2.

Second baseman Joel Ramirez ended both threats on pop-ups with two runners on base.

But in fifth, Ashworth threw three more wild pitches, each of them bouncing in the dirt and off catcher Angel Pena.

Jason Regan and Yuni Kim moved into scoring position on the first errant delivery and both came home on subsequent wild pitches.

The weirdness continued in the seventh, to Lancaster’s benefit.

Regan opened with a double, advanced to third on Kim’s groundout and was awarded home when Pena picked up a ball with his mask for an error.

JetHawk catcher Jim Horner singled to right, took second on a groundout and scored when shortstop Kevin Faircloth threw wildly on Shawn Buhner’s grounder.

Lancaster was ahead, 6-3, without having scored on a base hit, groundout or sacrifice fly.

Horner’s sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 7-3.

Aaron Scheffer (9-2) worked 2 2/3 innings for the JetHawks.