AtL Lancaster Stormers

Barnstormers Drop Wild Affair, 19-18

Published on June 30, 2021 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


Hector Sanchez homered twice and drove five runs across the plate as the Long Island Ducks won the highest scoring game in Barnstormers' history, 19-18.

Despite all of that, Caleb Gindl was not able to extend his home run streak to eight games, though his hitting and RBI streaks did advance.

Long Island struck for six runs in the top of the first, two on a single by Deibinson Romero who had returned to the Ducks earlier in the day. Sanchez added a three-run shot to right.

By the end of the first, the lead had almost evaporated as Kelly Dugan singled home a pair, and Blake Allemand followed with a three-run homer.

Then, it became Lancaster's turn to take a six-run lead. Down, 7-5, entering the bottom of the second, Gindl got a furious Barnstormers rally underway with a single to center. Melvin Mercedes followed with another, and a walk to Blake Gailen loaded the bases. Trayvon Robinson singled home two, and Alejandro De Aza put Lancaster ahead with a single to right. With two outs and the bases loaded, Anthony Peroni unloaded a double to deep right center, clearing the bases. Cleuluis Rondon and Mercedes added RBI base hits for a 13-7 lead.

The Ducks scored one in the third on the second homer by Sanchez and four more in the fourth. They caught the Barnstormers in the fifth as reliever Corey Howard singled home the tying run with a soft liner to left center. Ryan Jackson made it 14-13 with a grounder to third. Howard, a first baseman-outfielder out of Gardner-Webb stole third and scored Long Island's 15th run of the night on a throwing error by catcher Anthony Peroni.

Unphased the Barnstormers rallied to tie in the bottom of the inning on a solo homer to right by Trayvon Robinson and a two-out RBI double by Peroni.

What the Barnstormers could not make up was a four-run Long Island sixth, an inning that began innocently with two outs and a runner at first. Clint Freeman stole second before Johnni Turbo poked a ground ball to the backhand side of first baseman Blake Gailen. Gailen's throw ended up behind Yoel Espinal (1-4), who then was late covering first, allowing Turbo to reach on an infield hit. Steve Lombardozzi walked, prompting manager Ross Peeples to go to Jordan McCrum out of the bullpen. McCrum was greeted by L.J. Mazzilli's two-run ground rule double to left center. Pinch hitter Jesse Berardi singled to left, plating two more, for the 19-15 lead.

Lancaster battled back with an RBI single from Melvin Mercedes in the sixth and an RBI double by Rondon in the seventh to cut the lead to two.

That is how play entered the bottom of the ninth. Allemand led off with a double to left center. Gindl's final attempt to homer resulted in an RBI single up the middle with two outs, but Michael Tonkin was able to strike out Mercedes for his fifth save.

The Barnstormers and Ducks play again on Wednesday evening at 6:30. Vin Mazzaro (1-0) is slated to go for Long Island against right-hander Dominic DiSabatino (2-3). Fans may tune into Blue Ridge 11 or the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, starting at 6:30.

NOTES: The 18 runs was a season high for Lancaster...Gindl has 15 runs scored and 17 RBI in the last eight games...Gindl and Rondon have eight-game hitting streaks, matching Mercedes for the longest by a Barnstormer in 2021...The average game at Clipper Magazine Stadium in 2021 has seen 21.4 runs...The game took four hours, 38 minutes...That was 23 minutes longer than the high coming into this season but 26 minutes short of the June 8 game against Gastonia.

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Atlantic League Stories from June 30, 2021


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