AtL Lancaster Stormers

Barnstormers Fall Short of Bears

Published on August 17, 2008 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


Lancaster's second half massacre of the Newark Bears came to a halt Sunday evening as Newark erupted for eight runs in the first four innings and held on for an 8-6 victory over the Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

With the loss, the Barnstormers are again 3 ½ games behind the York Revolution in the Freedom Division standings.

Jose Herrera ignited the Bears with a two-run blast to right field off a 3-2 pitch from Erik Dessau (0-1) in the top of the first inning. The Barnstormers were never able to catch up.

Lancaster was able to answer with Mike Woods' second leadoff homer of the weekend series, but ran themselves out of a further opportunity when newcomer Michael Campbell, who had walked earlier in the inning, was doubled off second base on a fly ball to right by Brian Munhall.

Vic Gutierrez singled home Randall Simon with a run in the top of the second with a liner off the right field wall, and Simon tacked on two more with a two-run shot to right field in the third for a 5-1 Bears lead.

The Barnstormers then loaded the bases with nobody out in the home third. Ian Bladergroen knocked home one run with a ground ball to first base, and Munhall singled over the glove of third baseman Mike Just to cut the Bears lead to 5-3. Mike Bumstead (13-6) got Lloyd Turner to ground into a double play to preserve the two-run margin.

Once again, the Bears were able to build a cushion. Mike Just led off the fourth with a single up the middle. Just, running with a pitch to Gutierrez, went all the way to third on a ground out and scored on a single to center by Ramon Castro. Castro stole second on a third strike to Keith Reed, but the Barnstormers opted not to pitch around Herrera with first base open, and the Newark right fielder cranked a 1-0 pitch over the right center field wall for his second blast of the night and an 8-3 advantage.

Turner reached Bumstead for a three-run homer one out into the bottom of the fifth, and it looked like the race was on. Suddenly, however, offense came to a screeching halt. There was only one more hit in the game, a single by Simon off Sendy Rleal in the eighth.

Lancaster had one more chance to get at the Bears. Cory Willey, replacing Bumstead to start the seventh, walked Matt LeCroy and Bladergroen, the first two batters he faced, in succession. Brian Munhall laid a bunt down to the first base side of the mound, but Willey was able to force LeCroy at third. The inning quickly died, and the Barnstormers did not get another runner off Willey or Andy Shibilo, who worked a perfect ninth for his third save.

NOTES: Woods extended his hitting streak to 12 games with the homer...He has scored 16 runs in the last seven games and has now crossed the plate 87 times this season, four shy of the franchise record...Ivanon Coffie lost his hitting streak at 13 games, going 0-for-4...Danny Gonzalez missed the game with an emergency trip to the dentist...Lancaster will send Chris Steinborn (0-2) to the hill on Monday night against lefty Kevin Walker (0-0)...Game time is 7:05.

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Atlantic League Stories from August 17, 2008


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