LANCASTER LETS ANOTHER SUNDAY GAME GET AWAY : ELSINORE AVOIDS 4-GAME SWEEP BY JETHAWKS IN HUNT FOR PLAYOFFS.

Byline: Bryan Winchell Daily News Staff Writer

For some reason, Lancaster can't earn a series sweep over any non-co-op teams.

After Sunday's 5-2 loss to Lake Elsinore, it was evident that it's partially because of the team's trouble winning on Sundays.

The loss gives Lancaster four straight Sunday losses, a 5-14 record on Sundays, and a 2-8 Sunday record at the Hangar.

But the team and manager Dave Brundage weren't as concerned about those stats as by the blown opportunity to pick up a game on High Desert, which lost to Stockton; and Lake Elsinore in the playoff hunt.

Entering Monday's three-game road series at Lake Elsinore, the JetHawks were 5-1/2 games behind first-place Lake Elsinore, 4-1/2 behind High Desert and a half-game behind San Bernardino.

Sunday's game slipped like sand through Lancaster's fingers.

Lancaster held a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning behind Brett Hinchliffe, who went 6-2/3 innings, allowed seven hits and two earned runs, while walking four and striking out nine.

But the Storm scored four runs in the seventh in a sloppy inning in which the JetHawks committed two errors, had a passed ball and a wild pitch.

The big play occurred with two outs, men on first and second and Bret Hemphill, who had struck out three times against Hinchliffe, at the plate.

``They took out that first pitcher, thank God,'' said Hemphill, who made contact against reliever Chris Beck, hitting a slicing ground ball to second baseman Jason Cook for what had the makings of the third out of the inning.

Instead, the ball skidded past Cook's mitt into right field, where Jesus Marquez slipped trying to field it. After the ball rolled to the wall, shortstop Mike Lanza's relay throw to third base to get Hemphill bounced past Carlos Villaobos, allowing Hemphill to score and make it 5-2.

``I'm still trying to figure that one out,'' said Cook, who was charged with an error. ``At first it was a routine ground ball, but then it hit something funny, so I tried to take a drop step on it to get to the side and field it.

``I guess I made the wrong decision,'' he said. ``It's frustrating to lose a game on that play.''

It wasn't any easier to take for manager Dave Brundage.

``It's disappointing to lose a ballgame like that,'' Brundage said. ``I know Jason has played hard all season and almost every day. That's not the proper way to field that ball. He sidestepped it, and with the game on the line, you don't know what that ball's gonna do.''

Offensively, Lancaster didn't get the clutch hits it needed in the later innings. In both the seventh and eighth innings, the first two batters reached base only to be stranded.

Brundage, who was pleased with Hinchliffe's performance, wondered about the team's effort.

``To be honest with you, to me they looked a little lethargic,'' Brundage said. ``It was like two runs was going to be plenty enough. I don't believe we've won any ballgames this year with two runs at the Hangar.''

For Lake Elsinore, the win allowed team members a collective sigh of relief.

``If we lose, our guys are saying oh, no,'' said Storm manager Mitch Seoane.

But for Lancaster, the loss interrupted the momentum it had gained from three straight victories over the Elsinore team.

``With the game and the season on the line, you expect to get 110 percent from every guy,'' Brundage said. ``When you're 3-1/2 games out and playing the first-place team, that should be incentive enough to get yourselves ready to play.''