It took a couple turns of the batting order to figure out Lance Davis, but the
Barnstormers finally solved the puzzle.After lining a single to left center on his third trip of the night, Mike Woods capped a four-run seventh inning rally with a two-run homer as Lancaster overturned the Long Island Ducks, 5-4, Thursday evening at Clipper Stadium.
With the win, the Barnstormers climbed back to within five games of the division-leading Somerset Patriots.
Davis (7-4) retired 16 of 18 batters on the first two trips through the lineup, yielding a one-out single to Steve Van Note in the third and a solo homer to newcomer Dionys Cesar in the fifth. Woods and Danny Gonzalez reached him for singles in the sixth before former Barnstormer All-Star Reggie Taylor made fine running catches on drives to center by Jutt Hileman and Dominick Ambrosini to end the threat.
The dam burst for Davis in the seventh. With one out, Jeremy Todd launched his 24th homer of the season onto the walkway beyond the wall in right center. Cesar, who was obtained earlier in the week in the trade for Taylor, singled to right and scored on a double into the left field corner by Felix Martinez.
Martinez, who took third on the throw to the plate, was frozen there momentarily as Eric Crozier struck out. Woods then lofted a fly ball onto the picnic canopies in right field for his ninth homer and a 5-3 lead.
P.J. Rose homered, his second in as many nights, off Chris Brock to start the eighth, but Brock and Derrick DePriest retired six of the next seven batters to close out the victory.
Eric Ackerman (5-1) allowed one run and struck out four in two innings of relief to record the win. DePriest earned his 18th save, moving him into third in the league.
Taylor went 4-for-4, all singles, for the Ducks.
NOTES: Hileman doubled in the seventh inning, extending his hitting streak to 16, two shy of the club record...Barry Armitage worked five innings in his second straight spot start, allowing five hits and two runs...After walking three and hitting a batter before the first out in the fifth, he escaped without allowing a second run...Woods has reached base 10 times in the last three games...Dominick Ambrosini was 0-for-4 but made a great defensive play in deep left to take extra bases away from Estee Harris to start the ninth...Josh Stevens (9-7) will make the start on Friday night at 7:05 against Jose Espinal (0-1).
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