Visalia Beats Lancaster Again, 4-3

The Visalia Oaks collected 12 hits and defeated the Lancaster JetHawks, 4-3, in a California League game Saturday night at the Hangar.

The JetHawks are 5-4 after losing the first game of a three-game series with Visalia (9-1).

The Oaks won two of three games in an season-opening series last week in Visalia.

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The JetHawks have had an all-star second baseman in each of their three seasons, and the tradition might be carried on with Jermaine Clark.

Clark, a left-handed hitter from the University of San Francisco, is batting only .237, but don’t be surprised if he heats up soon. He hit .324 with six home runs, 55 runs batted in and 40 stolen bases last season for Wisconsin of the Class-A Midwest League and batted .337 with 22 stolen bases for Everett, Wash., of the rookie Northwest League in 1997.

Clark, a fifth-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in ‘97, set career records at San Francisco with a .361 average, 151 runs and 86 stolen bases.

Clark has tough acts to follow in Lancaster. Second baseman Jason Cook was chosen to the California League all-star team in 1996; Chris Dean was selected to play in the California League-Carolina League all-star game in ‘97, and Adonis Harrison was an all-star before earning a late-season promotion to double-A last season.

AROUND THE LEAGUES

Scanning Friday’s box scores:

Triple-A--Adam Kennedy (Cal State Northridge) is batting .323 with two home runs, 10 runs and seven RBIs in seven games for Memphis of the Pacific Coast League. . . . Torey Lovullo (Montclair Prep) is batting .276 with two home runs and three doubles in eight games for Scranton of the International league. . . . Gary Mathews Jr. (Mission College, Granada Hills) is batting .381 with nine walks in seven games.