JetHawks' mistakes cost them yet another opportunity to win

Lancaster lost its fourth consecutive game and second in a row to Modesto

By ED HARBOUR
Valley Press Staff writer

The JetHawks fell to Modesto Monday for the second straight night, their fourth loss in a row. This time it was 4-2 before a crowd of 1,681 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium on the strength of two mistakes.

The losing streak is the JetHawks' longest of the season.

In the seventh inning, catcher Travis McClendon hit what appeared to be a game-tying double down the third-base line, scoring Bo Robinson and Harvey Hargrove on the play.

But Hargrove failed to touch third on his way home after Robinson, an oversight not missed by the A's, and was called out to end the inning. That left Lancaster (31-26) still down 3-2.

"That was a big mental error and Harvey feels bad about it," Lancaster manager Mark Parent. "He feels bad about it. He was still in the dugout when I left the field and they turned out the lights.

"That wasn't the only mistake we made, but everything gets magnified because we're losing."

Lancaster starter Enmanuel Ulloa made the other mistake, a costly one for him and the club.

In the top of the third inning, Ulloa (3-3) left a fastball over the plate for second baseman Justin Hall and he deposited the ball into the hitters' backdrop in center field for a three-run homer.

Ulloa looked out of form early, as he walked the leadoff batters in the first and third innings, and routinely fell behind 2-0 and 3-1 in the count.

"He missed the zone a lot with his fastball," Lancaster pitching coach Scott Budner said. "The positive was that he stayed on top of the ball and therefore was missing down in the zone a lot.

"The bad part was that he was constantly behind in the count."

Ulloa's inability to find the strike zone prompted Parent to pull him after 4 innings.

"You've got to figure it out when you're out there," Parent said. "You have to find a pitch you can throw in the strike zone.

"He couldn't do that. When I went to pull him, he looked at me like he didn't know why I was out there."

Those two mistakes were all it took for Lancaster to fall two games back of San Bernardino in the Cal League South Division. The Stampede beat Rancho Cucamonga Monday behind Orel Hershiser. In the last 20 days the Stampede, once down 5 1/2 games, has turned the standings around 7 1/2 games.

In relief of Ulloa, Kenny Rayborn again looked strong. He went four innings and scattered four hits. Modesto was able to tack on an insurance run in the top of the ninth off Rayborn after he gave up a pair of singles to open the inning.

The only other run for Lancaster came in the fourth when Juan Silvestre launched a solo home run to right-center field, his leagueleading 12th of the year.

On the night, Lancaster tagged Modesto pitching for seven hits. But only once, in the doomed seventh, was the team able to get more than one in an inning.

Uploaded June 6, 2000