Shaky JetHawks Rattled in 8-5 Loss to the Quakes

RANCHO CUCAMONGA —  The JetHawks gave up three unearned runs with sloppy defense in the first inning Friday night and did not catch up in an 8-5 loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before 6,422 at the Epicenter.

Three of the JetHawks’ runs came off the bat of first baseman James Clifford, who hit a solo home run and a two-run shot, giving him seven homers this season. It was the third time he has hit two home runs in a game.

Clifford’s two-run homer in the eighth helped the JetHawks rally from an 8-2 deficit.

The JetHawks again had trouble at the plate against Quake right-hander Cade Gaspar, who held the California League’s best-hitting team to two runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Gaspar held the Quakes to one run in seven innings Sunday at the Hangar.

The JetHawks’ struggling defense cost them in the first inning, when they made two errors to give them 14 in four games.

Chris Beck (4-1) walked Rick Gama and gave up a single to Dickie Woodridge to start the game. Antonio Fernandez hit a routine ground ball to second baseman Mike Lanza, whose feed to shortstop Luis Molina covering second base sailed into left field.

Gama came around to score, with Woodridge and Fernandez moving into scoring position.

After Beck recorded an out, Darryl Brinkley drove in a run with a grounder. Randy Curtis hit a ground ball to third baseman Carlos Villalobos that should have ended the inning, but Villalobos booted the ball for his 14th error, allowing the third run to score.

After the first, the JetHawks actually played strong defense, directly preventing runs in the fourth and fifth.

In the fourth, with runners at second and third, left fielder Shane Monahan caught a fly ball and threw out Juan Melo at third base before Randy Curtis, jogging home from third, could score.

An inning later, Villalobos made a diving stop of a ball headed for left field with runners at first and third and two out, then popped to his feet and made a strong throw to first.

Beck, who pitched well for four innings after the first, appeared to tire in the sixth, when he gave up a run on Gama’s two-out single that gave the Quakes a 4-1 lead.

John Daniels relieved Beck and saw his first pitch driven by Woodridge into the right-field corner, scoring two more runs. Daniels’ next pitch was lined into center by Fernandez, scoring Woodridge with the first earned run charged to Daniels in 20 1/3 innings.

A 7-1 lead was enough for Gaspar, a former first-round pick out of Pepperdine. Clifford’s home run in the fourth accounted for the JetHawks’ first run.

The JetHawks began the third and seventh innings with back-to-back hits, but couldn’t manage serious rallies either time. In the third Gaspar retired the next three hitters to get out of the jam.

In the seventh, Gaspar struck out Shawn Buhner then induced a run-scoring groundout from Andy Augustine.

Rancho Cucamonga 8, JetHawks 5

JetHawks: 000 100 130 -- 5 9 2

Rancho Cucamonga: 300 004 10x -- 8 13 0

Beck, Daniels (6), Niemeier (7) and Augustine; Gaspar, White (7), Bussa (8), Schmitt (9) and Schwenke.

W--Gaspar (2-1).L--Beck (4-1).S--Schmitt (1).

2B: J--Villalobos, Buhner; RC--Curtis, Woodridge.HR:J--Clifford 2 (7).

Records: JetHawks 18-11; Rancho Cucamonga 11-17.