MODESTO – The Modesto Nuts pulled away late and swept the California League Championship Series with an 8-1 victory over the JetHawks in Game 3 on Friday night at John Thurman Field, ending the season for the Lancaster team.

The Nuts led wire-to-wire. They scored two runs in the opening frame against JetHawks starter Jesus Tinoco. Jordan Cowan led off with a double, stole third, and came home on an error. Joey Curletta later delivered a sacrifice fly.

Tinoco settled in after that. Starting with the final two outs of the first, he retired seven in a row and eight of nine.

The JetHawks scored their lone run in the third inning to make it a 2-1 game at the time. Scott Burcham hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came in on Garrett Hampson’s RBI infield single.

Modesto added a run in the fourth. Curletta led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Luis Liberato later in the frame. It remained 3-1 until the seventh when the Nuts scored four times to break open the game. The inning was highlighted by a two-out, three-run home run off the bat of Arturo Nieto. Modesto added another insurance run in the eighth.

Roberto Dugger (1-0) earned the win for Modesto. The Nuts starter went 5.2 innings and allowed one run on four hits. Tinoco (0-2) suffered the loss. He surrendered three runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six. The Modesto bullpen (Jack Anderson, Seth Frankoff, and Art Warren) did not allow a run in 3.1 innings and struck out eight.

Sam Hilliard and Garrett Hampson had two hits apiece for the JetHawks, who were out-hit 14-6 in the contest. Lancaster committed four errors.

Joe Rizzo was named the series MVP. The 19-year-old Modesto third baseman went 7-for-13 with a home run and four RBI.