CAL LEAGUE: JETHAWKS, HIGH DESERT ERASE PITCHING DUEL.

Byline: - Gideon Rubin

ADELANTO - The California League's two best left-handed pitching prospects met in Game 2 of the best-of-three Southern Division miniseries.

JetHawks starter Matt Chico (USC) and High Desert's John Gragg were relegated to footnote status by minor league baseball's two leading hitting teams. High Desert, which was looking to force a Game 3 it would host tonight at 7, led 12-10 going into the bottom of the eighth inning in front of 897 at Mavericks Stadium.

Chico was chased from the game after allowing five runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings. Gragg allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 5 1/3 innings.

The JetHawks blew a 10-7 lead in the eighth when High Desert scored five runs, highlighted by a pair of two-run homers by Kila Kaaihue and Bernard Stephens. Kaaihue homered off former Tulane standout Micah Owings. The left-handed hitting Stephens homered on the first pitch he saw from left-handed specialist Reuben Kerbs to make 11-10.

The JetHawks rallied from a 6-3 deficit in a six-run sixth inning highlighted by Danny Richar's two-out three-run triple. Phil Avlas (Kennedy High of Granada Hills) had a two-run single that made it 6-5.