'Hawks slumber through Storm

An eight-hour bus ride didn't help a slump Lancaster offense as the JetHawks fell three games under .500

And he wasn't about to start making excuses after Lancaster's eight-hour bus ride south from San Jose to Lake Elsinore Sunday night and Monday morning.

"We got plenty of rest," Burleson said. "They could have gone to bed at 4:15 this morning, and the bus didn't leave the hotel (for the stadium) until 4 this afternoon."

But the JetHawks still came out a little flat Monday, as they fell 7-2 before 2,119 Storm faithful at The Diamond.

"I'm sure a trip like that takes its toll," Burleson said. "But it's not an excuse. That's part of traveling."

The JetHawks (11-14) fell three games under .500 for the first time in the second half and have now lost four of their last five.

If that weren't bad enough, tonight they face old nemesis Brian Tokarse, who shut down the Lancaster offense the first three times he faced them before losing to Lancaster on June 23.

He'll face a Lancaster offense that managed only two runs for the second consecutive game. The JetHawks did better their hit production from Sunday, though, with five base hits.

But only one of those hits came at a key point in the game. The JetHawks loaded the bases in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings, but came away with only one run.

The most costly missed opportunity came in the top of the ninth, when Storm reliever Jason Stockstill loaded the bases with no outs on three walks, but Lancaster couldn't push in a run.

"We only got five hits tonight and three hits last night," Burleson said. "That's not going to do it. . . But offense is what's been carrying us all season. That's not the problem. It's a mixture of everything."

Lancaster, which didn't get a hit after the second inning in Sunday's game was shut down until Jayson Bass singled back up the middle with two outs in the fourth. That hit ended the JetHawks' 11 2/3-inning hitless streak.

Lancaster's 12-inning scoring drought ended when Luis Tinoco singled in Cirilo Cruz Jr. and Bass with two outs in the sixth inning.

Those two runs trimmed Lake Elsinore's lead to one run, 3-2, but the Storm immediately built the lead back to three in the bottom half of the sixth.

Jason Dewey singled into right field, before Jeff Guiel clobbered the first pitch of his two-out at-bat over the right-center field wall.

"You want to throw a zero up there in that situation," Burleson said. "We just couldn't do it."

Steve Hagins singled in Cesar Geronimo and David Davalillo in the seventh inning to give Lake Elsinore an almost untouchable lead.

Earlier in the game, Lake Elsinore ended Lancaster starter Julio Ayala's scoreless-inning streak at 10, when Kevin Ham sacrificed in Shawn Wooten.

Ayala (7-3) lost his first game since June 14, when he took the loss on the final game of the first half. Five of the seven runs he allowed were earned, as he surrendered eight hits and three walks while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings.

Doug Nickle (2-0) held the JetHawks to only five hits and four walks in his seven innings of work.

Bo Donaldson came on with the bases loaded and not outs in the ninth, but sandwiched strikeouts of Ramon Vazquez and Brendan Kingman around a popup by Cruz to end the threat and pick up his 17th save of the season.