JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK: WILD OUTINGS FOR JETHAWKS; PITCHERS MISPLACE STRIKE ZONE.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Daily News Staff Writer

The JetHawks coaching staff had probably heard enough renditions of the songs ``Wild Thing'' by the Trogs and Aerosmith's ``Walk This Way'' by the time they left High Desert's Maverick Stadium Sunday.

JetHawks pitchers were definitely wild in a three-game series against the Mavericks, walking 25 opposing hitters and prompting several tributes from the stadium's musical collection.

If ever a pitching staff had trouble finding the strike zone, Maverick Stadium, one of the most hitter-friendly venues in America, is not the place to lose it.

``Walks will always come back and haunt you, but in this park and (Lancaster Municipal Stadium) they'll just kill you,'' JetHawks pitching coach Jim Slaton said.

High Desert capitalized on the JetHawks' pitching. Six runs were scored on a combined 15 bases on balls in the first two games of the series. The Mavericks won both nights.

``A lot of those were after two outs in an inning. It shows that the pitchers don't have very good command and are making mistakes,'' Slaton said. ``Our pitchers hadn't been doing it and that's one reason why we've been so successful (in the second half).''

The walks continued into Sunday's game as well. But the Mavericks scored just one run off 10 walks and lost 8-5 in 10 innings. Javier Gutierrez pitched three crucial scoreless innings with his team down 4-0 despite walking four.

Even closer Sean Spencer joined in. Taking the mound with just eight walks in 45 innings, the left-hander walked four in two innings. However, he allowed just one run in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 10th to preserve the win.

``Sure we're concerned about the number of walks in this series. They will kill you,'' JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. ``(Sunday) was a big win for us.''

Raised on the radio: Tarrik Brock has a habit of watching a sporting event with his wife Kanika and providing his own play-by-play.

``She laughs at it mostly and sometimes she tells me to be quiet. But we have a lot of fun with it,'' said Brock, the JetHawks right fielder.

Now Brock is living out his fantasy, lending his voice to the team's radio pregame show. Rick DeReyes normally interviews a JetHawks player or coach during batting practice, but Brock has taken the microphone over the past few days.

``I brought it up to Rick and they thought it might be a good idea. I'm just having fun with it,'' Brock said. ``The season gets kind of long, and we're all kind of tired. I think it's keeping everyone loose.''

And Brock made sure to tell his wife of his time on the air.

``The first time I told her I was going to be on she said `No way.' Then someone told her I was on,'' he said.

``I did like the fact when he asked his questions his teammates seemed to relate because the questions came from a player's perspective,'' DeReyes said. ``Tarrik's very earnest about it.''

Brock and the JetHawks can now be heard worldwide on the Internet. Live broadcasts of the games on the KHG site are available at Audionet.com. There is also a link to the broadcasts on the JetHawks official website.

The JetHawks are one of six minor-league franchises to have live game coverage via the Internet, said lead broadcaster Dan Hubbard.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) SLATON

(2) SPENCER