Buhner Extends Hitting Streak

Shawn Buhner, who struggled at the plate through most of July, has turned things around in August. Buhner extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a run-scoring single against Ramon Martinez in the first inning of Thursday’s game.

Going into the game, Buhner was batting .470 during the streak (16 for 34). He has raised his average from .237 to .259.

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JetHawk pitcher Ivan Montane, who was 0-8 at double-A Memphis and entered Thursday’s game 0-0 with a 4.91 earned-run average, said he hasn’t lost his confidence in a winless 1997 season.

“If anything can go wrong, it’s gone wrong for me--bad hops, cheap hits, you name it,” Montane said. “I’ve been making good pitches.”

So how did Montane feel about opposing Martinez in his latest bid for a win?

“I would be nice to come up with the upper hand, and I won’t be nervous,” he said. “But it fits with the kind of season I’ve had.”

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Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over San Bernardino put Lancaster in sole possession of first place in the Valley Division and extended its winning streak to a season-high six games.

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Today’s game: JetHawks (Damaso Marte, 6-7, 4.83) at Stockton (Brian Passini, 0-3, 7.91), 7:05.

AROUND THE LEAGUES

Scanning Wednesday’s box scores: TRIPLE A--Rochester designated hitter Tim Laker (Simi Valley, Oxnard College) hit his ninth home run in a 7-5 win over Syracuse. . . . Former JetHawk Shane Monahan hit his first home run for Tacoma in a 4-3 loss to Vancouver. . . . Tucson catcher Bobby Hughes (Notre Dame) hit his fifth home run in a loss to Edmonton. . . . Phoenix right fielder Jacob Cruz (Channel Islands) hit his 11th home run in a loss to Colorado Springs. . . . DOUBLE A--Steve Montgomery (Pepperdine) worked seven scoreless innings, striking out eight in a 1-0 win over New Haven. Montgomery is 9-5. . . . Former JetHawk Rob Luce (5-1) worked six innings for the decision in a 9-3 Memphis victory over Knoxville. Left fielder Will Skett (Reseda) hit his first home run for Knoxville. . . . SINGLE A--Designated hitter Greg Shockey (Cal State Northridge) had three hits, including his 11th home run, in Rancho Cucamonga’s 7-5 win over High Desert. . . . Left fielder Mike Glendenning was two for three, drove in two and hit his 30th home run for Bakersfield in an 8-6 win over Stockton. . . . Pitcher Josh Towers (Hueneme, Oxnard College) is 6-2 after working 1 1/3 innings in Frederick’s 2-1 victory over Winston-Salem. . . . Designated hitter Dan Cey (El Camino Real) had three hits, including his 27th and 28th doubles, for Ft. Myers in a win over Vero Beach. . . . Catcher Robert Fick (Newbury Park, Cal State Northridge) had two hits, including his 46th double, for West Michigan in a 3-0 win over Michigan. . . . Designated hitter Chris Paxton (Palmdale) had three hits, including two doubles, and four runs batted in for Bluefield in a win over Johnson City. . . . First baseman Andy Dominique (Alemany) had two hits and three RBIs for Batavia in a loss to New Jersey.