Second Effort Gives JetHawks a Victory

One night after dropping their season opener to the San Jose Giants, the JetHawks wasted little time trying to get their first victory.

Kevin Burns highlighted an eight-run first inning with a grand slam and the JetHawks beat the Giants, 15-6, Friday night in front of 1,952 at the Hangar.

Greg Valera of Lancaster pitched a scoreless first inning and the JetHawks went right to work against Vance Cozier.

Carlos Urquiola opened the bottom of the inning with a double and scored one batter later on Matt Kata’s double down the left-field line.

Cozier retired the next two batters but walked the next three to set up Burns’ slam.

On a 2-and-2 pitch, Burns drove Cozier’s fastball over the center-field fence.

Later in the first, Urquiola hit a triple to drive in two runs and push Lancaster’s lead to 8-0.

Valera struck out five and gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings. He allowed a two-run home run to Nick Wolfgang in the fifth and left with a 10-4 lead.

The Giants scored two runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Scott Daeley and Joe Jester both had run-scoring singles off reliever Tanner Ericksen in the sixth.

J.D. Closser, who has seven runs batted in in two games, hit his first home run of the season in the seventh, a three-run shot to give the JetHawks a 15-6 lead.