The Lancaster Jethawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead early and pulled away with a five-run sixth inning to clinch the California League championship Monday night with a 10-2 victory over Visalia at The Hangar. Leadoff man Brett Phillips went 3-for-4 and scored three runs while driving in two to be the catalyst for the Jethawk attack.
If was a 4-2 game after four innings. Visalia’s starter, Blake Perry, had been lifted after 3 2/3 innings and Lancaster’s starter, Kyle Westwood, came out after allowing the first two Rawhide hitters to single in the top of the fifth. From there, Tyler Brunnemann and Daniel Minor went five scoreless innings out of the Jethawks bullpen.
Alex Glenn and Socrates Brito each went 2-for-5 for Visalia while Rudy Flores and Ryan Gebhardt each added a pair of hits.
Minor took to the hill in the bottom of the ninth with a 10-2 lead and allowed a one-out single to George Roberts. He then induced a lineout to center from Glenn before striking out Brito swinging to end the game and the season, clinching Lancaster’s second league championship in three years. 1,861 fans were in attendance.
