JETHAWKS HOLD OFF MAVERICKS JETHAWKS 8, HIGH DESERT 7.

Byline: Nathan Kurz Special to the Daily News

LANCASTER - Just when it seemed like the JetHawks were finally ready to snap out their situational hitting slump, well, they didn't.

Lancaster went 4 for 7 with runners in scoring position in the first two innings, surging out to a 7-1 lead, but struggled with the bats and in the bullpen before holding on for an 8-7 victory over High Desert on Saturday night.

Handed a 7-5 lead after five innings, the bullpen allowed a run in the sixth and eighth innings to tie it. The JetHawks, however, escaped several other prime scoring opportunities by the Mavericks.

Nonetheless, the JetHawks did enough offense early as Phil Avlas (Kennedy High of Granada Hills) hit a grand slam - a towering shot that landed just in front of the scoreboard located behind the left-center fence - to highlight a six-run first inning.

Sean Luellwitz had an RBI groundout and Reggie Abercrombie notched his first RBI as a member of the JetHawks with a single. Jon Zeringue added an RBI double in the second. The JetHawks scored more runs in that inning than they had totaled in any game in two weeks. They improved to 54-13 when scoring five or more runs in a game.

Avlas, who also had a single, went 2 for 3 to increase his batting average to .317, the fifth-best mark in the California League. Sam Smith, who had won his last three starts, was pulled after the fifth inning, when he allowed four runs on five singles. But he handed the ball to his bullpen with Lancaster leading 7-5.