Ninth Inning Bites Barnstormers
Published on July 29, 2009 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
The Newark Bears struck for two runs in the top of the ninth again on Wednesday night and sent the host Lancaster Barnstormers tumbling to their sixth consecutive home loss, 5-3.
Michael Sandoval led off the ninth with a line drive single into left field. Felix Martinez looked to bunt him over, but took four straight balls from Nick Abel (2-2) instead. Victor Mercedes also looked to bunt but failed to do so and fell behind, 0-2. Lancaster's corner infielders crept in again, but Mercedes switched off and smashed a double inside the first base bag, scoring Sandoval with the go-ahead run. Charlton Jimerson made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly before Jim Heuser came on to get Tike Redman on a fly to right. Mercedes was thrown out at the plate on a belated attempt to score an additional insurance run.
Lancaster went down in order against Michael Nix, who earned his first Atlantic League save, in the bottom of the ninth.
Barnstormers starter Ben Fritz fell behind, 1-0, in the fourth. He walked Rob Mackowiak to start the inning. Carl Everett followed with a ground rule double to right center. Andres Perez and Salomon Manriquez also picked up bases on balls to force home a run. Fritz recovered quickly, striking out Sandoval and getting Martinez to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Bears stretched the lead to 2-0 in the fifth on a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Everett.
Lancaster's only productive inning of the night came in the fifth. Aaron Herr snuck a single into left to lead off against Ramiro Mendoza, who had retired 12 of the first 13 batters, eight on strikes. Jed Morris popped to shortstop for the first out, but Ryan Mulhern connected for his 11th homer of the season, a drive to right center, to tie the game at 2-2. Gerard Haran reached on an infield single, and Cesar Suarez lined a single over Mercedes at short. Mercedes made a slick backhanded stop on a grounder by Vic Gutierrez and forced Haran at third. Lancaster took the lead on Anderson Machado's ground single into right field which scored Suarez.
The lead did not last long. Perez took Joanniel Montero out of the yard for a leadoff homer in the sixth, tying the game at 3-3. Neither club threatened again until the fateful Newark ninth. Cory Willey (2-1) faced only three batters in the eighth to pick up the win.
Lancaster will wrap up the series against Newark on Thursday evening at 7:05 on Guys Night. Zack Parker will take the hill for Lancaster against fellow lefty Matt Smith.
NOTES: Perez had a stretch of five official at bats where he had three homers and two doubles...Mulhern's homer was his sixth of July and tied him with L.J. Biernbaum for the team lead...Machado is 8-for-14 with five RBI in the last four games.
Atlantic League Stories from July 29, 2009
- Bluefish Fan Takes Home The Cash - Bridgeport Bluefish
- Ninth Inning Bites Barnstormers - Lancaster Stormers
- Ducks Boil Crabs - Long Island Ducks
- Patriots Rained Out Wednesday Night - Somerset Patriots
- Game Tonight! - Winning Inning Wednesday - Bridgeport Bluefish
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