Botts Blast Costs Barnstormers Sweep

The Barnstormers had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 2-2 tie in the Sunday evening nightcap. They failed to score, and Jason Botts slammed a two-run homer to center in the top of the eighth, leading the Sugar Land Skeeters to a 4-2 victory and split of the twinbill at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

In the opener, Blake Gailen slammed two homers and drove in four, leading Lancaster to a 5-1 win. The game was held up by rain for one hour, 40 minutes. It was the Barnstormers sixth straight win on the homestand.

Jaime Pedroza opened the Lancaster seventh with a single into the right field corner. Emerson Frostad's grounder to second was misplayed by Matt Hagen, and Adam Godwin dropped a fly ball into shallow center to load the sacks. Gary Majewski (2-0) induced a 5-2-3 double play out of Fehlandt Lentini and struck out Tommy Everidge to force extra innings.

With one out in the eighth, Les Walrond (3-1) hit Dominic Ramos with a 2-2 pitch, bringing up Botts. The league RBI leader blasted his ninth homer of the season to dead center for the 4-2 lead.

Majewski got the side in order in the bottom of the eighth to nail down the win.

Josh Pressley gave the Skeeters a 2-0 lead with a two-out, bases loaded single in the third, the only damage done to starter J.D. Durbin over seven frames.

Lancaster bounced back quickly. Emerson Frostad cracked a two-out solo homer down the right field line in the bottom of the third after Matt Wright had retired the first eight batters he faced. Lentini tripled to right center to open the fourth and scored on a two-out single to left center by Jesus Merchan.

It was Dwayne Pollok who squirmed out of a bases loaded jam in the first game, getting Matt Hagen to ground into a 6-4-3 double play after a double by Drew Locke and a pair of walks.

Lancaster pounced on the opportunity. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Lentini doubled to left and scored the go-ahead run on Terry Tiffee's single through the left side. One out later, Ryan Harvey extended the inning with a single to center. Gailen followed with his homer to right center for a 5-1 lead.

The Skeeters grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an unearned run. Heath Phillips held the lead for the first four innings but rain fell in the top of the fifth, halting the game. Gailen, the first batter to face reliever Kelvin Villa, drove a tying homer to the back fence in right center.

Lancaster is off on Monday before heading to Somerset to open a three-game series on Tuesday evening. Alan Johnson (2-3) will take the hill for the Barnstormers against right-hander Justin Cassel (1-4) in the 7:05 pm contest.

NOTES: The Barnstormers had not won the first six games of a homestand since 2009 and have never gone 7-0...Lancaster finished the day 3 1/2 games ahead of York in the Freedom Division standings...Gailen had his second two-homer game of the season...Lancaster's starters allowed only two earned runs in 18 innings in the Sugar Land series...Walrond has been involved in the decision in his last four appearances.

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Atlantic League Stories from June 4, 2012

• Skeeters Drop Game One to Blue Crabs, 6-1 - Sugar Land Skeeters
• Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
• Botts Blast Costs Barnstormers Sweep - Lancaster Barnstormers

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