Ryan Mulhern launched a full count pitch into the left field picnic deck in the top
of the 13th inning, providing Lancaster with a 7-6 victory over Southern Maryland
Saturday evening at Regency Furniture Stadium.The win, played in front of 4,593, kept the Barnstormers within 4 ½ games of first place Somerset in the Freedom Division. It took five hours, 11 minutes to complete, the longest Barnstormers game of the season by 23 minutes.
Mulhern connected off Jason LaVorgna (0-1) with one out in the top of the 13th. Antonio Alfonseca (1-3) retired the side in order in the bottom half to nail down the win in his second inning of work.
Both clubs scored in the 12th inning. Jed Morris singled to right leading off the top of the frame and, after Vic Gutierrez fouled out on a bunt try, stole second on a called third strike to Lloyd Turner. Anderson Machado produced the run on a lined single to right field.
The Blue Crabs battled back against Alfonseca. With one out, John Ramistella, batting for the first time in the game, blooped a double down the right field line. James Shanks followed with a ground single to left, sending Ramistella to third. Michael Tucker drove in his fourth run of the night with an infield single to shortstop.
Tucker sent the game into extra innings with a double off the left field wall in the eighth inning. He had also slugged a two-run homer in the first.
Nate Gold was 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Barnstormers.
The two teams reassemble on Sunday afternoon at 2:05. Eric Ackerman (3-9) will take the hill for Lancaster against fellow lefty Keith Ramsey (2-1). Lancaster will return home after the game to face Somerset for a four-game series starting Monday. Tickets for all games are available at www.lancasterbarnstormers.com or at 717-509-HITS.
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