Hinchcliffe is perfect in return to Lancaster

In the teams' 20 meetings last season, the JetHawks and Mavericks combined to average 11.3 runs per game.

But in the first meeting of 1998, the pitchers bit back.

Lancaster starting pitcher Brett Hinchliffe pitched five perfect innings and High Desert's Stephen Randolph answered with four perfect frames in Lancaster's 5-1 victory Monday before 2,126 at The Hangar.

Lancaster's win ended the 1997 Cal League champions' seven-game regular season winning streak at The Hangar, dating back to June 10.

Hinchliffe, who joined the JetHawks (3-2) for three rehabilitation starts after missing most of spring training with an ankle injury, did an excellent job of spotting his pitches. He struck out eight of the 15 Maverick batters he faced and allowed only three balls to leave the infield before reaching his 65-pitch limit at the conclusion of the top of the fifth inning.

"He was perfect," JetHawks pitching coach Jim Slaton said. "He was perfect through five innings and had great command of all his pitches."

Brian Sweeney followed Hinchliffe's lead, allowing only one hit in three innings of work. High Desert's Jarrod Patterson broke up the perfect game with his seventh-inning single to left-center.

But that was the only base runner the Mavericks had until Bert Hudson was hit by Allan Westfall to lead off the ninth inning. Hudson later scored High Desert's only run of the game.

Lancaster pitchers combined to allow only two hits and no walks, while striking out 13.

"I think it was great for our other younger pitchers to see (Hinchliffe pitch)," Slaton said. "They got to see how quickly he got ahead of hitters."

JetHawks trainer Troy McIntosh said Hinchliffe had no ill effects on his ankle and is just trying to get innings and build up his arm strength before he joins Class AAA Tacoma.

The Mavericks' Randolph matched Hinchliffe pitch-for-pitch through the first four innings, striking out five of the 12 batters he faced before being pulled after the fourth with only 43 pitches.

Unlike Hinchliffe, Randolph did not receive solid backing from his bullpen.

Jayson Bass broke up High Desert's perfect game with a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth. Bass, who had a rough day both in the field and at the plate in Sunday's loss to Rancho Cucamonga, felt he got redemption with a good game Monday.

"I thought about it last night," Bass said of Sunday's game. "And I thought to myself, I'm glad I got this bad day out of the way. I didn't let it drag through my mind all night.

"I guess this is a little redemption for what happened yesterday."

In the sixth, the JetHawks broke up the shutout when Mike Burrows walked and Ramon Vazquez sent his first hit of the season into right field. The ball was misplayed by Hudson, allowing both Burrows and Vazquez to score.

"It was a tough throw into the wind," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said of the decision to send Vazquez from third. "I felt it was a good gamble, and it paid off."

Vazquez's score seemed to spur Lancaster to two more runs in the seventh inning. Jason Regan singled in Bass, who went 2-for-4, and Karl Thompson picked up his first hit of the season, doubling in Regan.

Vazquez, who finished 2-for-3 with a double, added another run in the eighth on Luis Tinoco's single.