Barnstormers Gain Split, Stay Five Ahead
September 11, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
Nate Reed struggled to throw strikes early in his game Thursday evening.
Once he found the zone, he was deadly.
The Barnstormers' left-hander walked four in the first inning and a third, but he lasted six innings to pitch Lancaster to an 8-3 victory in the second game of a doubleheader at Regency Furniture Stadium.
Southern Maryland grabbed the opener, 6-4.
The split kept the Barnstormers five games ahead of York, which was rained out in Somerst, in the Freedom Division. Lancaster's magic number dropped to six.
Reed (8-7) yielded three hits and a run over his six innings. He finished with five walks and struck out eight Blue Crabs hitters.
After Mike McDade singled home two runs in the top of the first, Reed yielded a leadoff single to Antone DeJesus and three straight one-out walks to force home a run. After falling behind Keith Castillo, 3-1, he got the Crabs' DH to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to escape the threat. The Reading native allowed a one-out single and walk in the second but fanned the next two to end that inning. He never let another Southern Maryland runner reach second base.
Kent Matthes homered for the Barnstormers off Shaun Garceau (4-5) while Anderson Feliz went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Twice Feliz came home on doubles by Kevin Rivers.
In the opener, Joe Gardner (8-6) went the distance, allowing just five hits. Southern Maryland scored one run on a bases loaded grounder on which the Barnstormers failed to turn a double play. They got three more in the second, again in strange fashion. With the bases loaded and one out, Fred Lewis drove a sacrifice fly into left center. Jerry Owens threw into the cutoff man with all three runners tagging. Lance Zawadzki sensed a chance for an out at second, but his quick throw was wild and rolled into foul territory down the right field line as all runners scored.
The Barnstormers fought back to tie. Brian Cavazos-Galvez homered in the second, and Lancaster struck for three in the fourth. Charlie Cutler's bloop hit to center spun away from DeJesus for a two-run double. Cutler scored on a game-tying single by Feliz.
Lancaster left a runner at third, however, in three straight innings, never pushing into the lead.
Southern Maryland was able to break the deadlock in the bottom of the sixth. Bryant Nelson led off with a double, and Jamar Walton picked up a walk. Castillo moved both ahead with a bunt. Casey Frawley rolled a grounder to Feliz. Nelson was sent from third and was able to score when Feliz pulled Cutler to his right with the throw home. DeJesus hit a grounder to Tyler Bortnick at second. Lancaster appeared to turn an inning ending double play, but Frawley was ruled to be safe at second as Zawadzki was not given credit for the "neighborhood" play at the bag.
The call led to the ejections of both manager Butch Hobson and pitching coach Rich Rundles. The game ended when Cavazos-Galvez was ruled out on a close play at first on the back end of a double play. D.J. Boston, left in charge with the other ejections, argued vehemently to no avail.
Orlando Santos (4-7) picked up the game one win for the Blue Crabs.
Lancaster heads to Somerset to start a three-game series on Friday. The Barnstormers will send Chad Beck (3-3) to the hill against lefty Roy Merritt. Fans may tune into 1390-AM, WLAN; rumba1390.com or the I Heart Radio cell phone app, beginning at 6:45.
NOTES: Lancaster won its 11th series of the second half...The Barnstormers need four more wins for Butch Hobson to reach 1,800 in his career...Matthes' homer extended a hitting streak to nine...Reed has won five straight starts and seven of his last eight decisions.
Atlantic League Stories from September 11, 2015
- Reyes' Big Night Helps Flock Swat Skeeters - Long Island Ducks
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- Skeeters Fall Short in Series-Opener with Long Island, 9-8 - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Bluefish Announce Unused Ticket Days - Bridgeport Bluefish
- Blue Crabs Split Doubleheader with Lancaster - Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
- Barnstormers Gain Split, Stay Five Ahead - Lancaster Stormers
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