AtL Lancaster Stormers

Barnstormers drop second on trip

Published on August 22, 2008 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


It was one of those nights where neither team could pick up the hit to put the game away. And given one last chance, the Barnstormers failed to get that hit in the ninth inning, falling, 5-4, to the Bridgeport Bluefish at Harbor Yard.

With the loss, Lancaster remained 3 ½ games behind the division leading York Revolution, which lost, 7-5, to Camden.

Trailing, 5-3, going into the ninth, the Barnstormers' Michael Campbell picked up a four-pitch walk from Eddy Ramos, and pinch hitter Lloyd Turner followed with a single to left field, putting the tying runs on base. Mike Woods advanced the runners with a sacrifice. Then, on a 1-2 fastball to Jutt Hileman, catcher Luis Rodriguez committed a passed ball scoring Campbell and getting the tying run to third. Ramos struck out Hileman and walked Danny Gonzalez. He was then able to strike out Ian Bladergroen as well to pin down the win and his 12th save.

Lancaster grabbed an early 3-0 lead. Woods led off the game with a homer to left center, his 13th of the season. David Castillo and Campbell picked up back-to-back singles, the team's fourth and fifth hits of the night, to open the second, Mike Caruso forced Campbell at second. Woods followed with an RBI single to center for a 2-0 lead. Hileman delivered Caruso with a ground single into left. Danny Gonzalez also singled, loading the bases, but Bladergroen rapped into a 3-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Jay Caligiuri lined a solo homer with one out in the second off Erik Dessau (0-2), but the real trouble did not start until the bottom of the third. Travis Ezi spanked a 3-2 pitch into left field and advanced to second on a wild pickoff throw. One out later, Alex Prieto singled into left to move Ezi to third. Luis Lopez cut the lead to one with a double into the left field corner. The tying run scored on Jesse Hoorelbeke's single off the glove of shortstop Danny Gonzalez, and Ryan Bear singled to load the bases. Bridgeport then took its turn to falter in the clutch, with Caligiuri rapping into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning with the score tied.

Hoorelbeke snapped the tie with his 24th homer of the season, a line drive off the second tier of signs in left center with one out in the fifth. Bear reached on a broken bat single to center, and Caligiuri walked, prompting Dessau's departure from the game. Pat Cassa was summoned, and he almost got out of the inning from there, but Rodriguez took an 0-1 pitch into center to score Bear.

The Barnstormers bullpen had a couple of great escapes from there. Ricardo Gomez came on with runners at first and third and nobody out in the sixth. He got a grounder to Bladergroen who cut down Mateo at the plate for the first out, then fanned Lopez and Hoorelbeke in succession to keep the deficit at two. Sendy Rleal got out of a second-and-third, one-out jam the following inning.

Rafael Bergstrom (6-7) worked three scoreless innings of relief to notch the win for Bridgeport.

NOTES: The leadoff homer for Woods was his fourth to start the game this season and third in the last eight games...He scored his 90th run of the season...Hileman's RBI single in the second extended his hitting streak to eight games, his season best...Gomez has struck out five of seven batters he has faced in the series...Rleal ran his streak of scoreless innings to 12 2/3...Lancaster will send LHP Chris Steinborn (1-2) to the hill on Saturday against LHP Ryan DiPietro (3-4)...Game time is 6:05.

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Atlantic League Stories from August 22, 2008


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