AtL Lancaster Stormers

Barnstormers Slip In Eighth

Published on August 9, 2010 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


Lancaster came six outs shy of a sweep of the Long Island Ducks, but Long Island rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday evening for a 5-4 victory in the series finale at Suffolk County Sports Park.

The loss combined with a York victory over Southern Maryland dropped the Barnstormers lead in the Freedom Division back to 2 ½ games.

With the Barnstormers ahead, 4-3, entering the bottom of the eighth, Long Island drew even as John Rodriguez launched a tying home run down the right field line off Pat Overholt (3-3). Javier Colina followed with a single to left, then moved ahead to second on a wild pickoff throw. Overholt retired Matt Padgett on a routine fly ball to center. A bounder to third by Matt Esquivel was handled, then dropped, by Aaron Herr for an error to fill in first base. Overholt fanned Brendan Monaghan for the second out. He could not get through Matt Cavagnaro, who blooped a single over second baseman Vic Gutierrez to chase Colina home with the deciding run.

Former Barnstormer Ricardo Gomez took over to throw a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his seventh save.

Reggie Taylor gave Lancaster their only lead of the afternoon with a line drive homer down the right field line two outs into the top of the seventh.

Lancaster escaped a threat in the seventh to hold the lead. Wayne Franklin, in his Barnstormers debut, remained in the game to start the bottom of the inning. Brendan Monaghan reached on an error as his bouncer skipped under Ryan Mulhern's glove for an error. Cavagnaro picked up the third of his four hits, banging a single into left to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Overholt took over to face shortstop Erick Monzon and got him to ground slowly to second base. Joey Gathright's grounder to first was thrown home by Mulhern, nailing Monaghan at the plate. Ray Navarrete flied to left to end the inning with Lancaster still ahead.

The Ducks had their only success against Franklin in the third. Cavagnaro and Monzon both singled to left and moved up on Gathright's sacrifice bunt. Navarrete added a third single, a liner to left center that drove home two. One out later, Franklin walked Colina, and Padgett lashed the fourth single of the inning to the left center gap, giving the Ducks a 3-0 lead.

Otherwise, the left-hander faced only one batter over the minimum through six innings.

Lancaster rallied to tie the game in the fourth off Jake Dittler. Taylor drove a double over Gathright's head in center and scored on a single lined over first base by Mulhern. Adam Witter sliced a single to left, and Joe Gaetti walked to load the bases with nobody out. Colina interrupted the flow with the diving stop of a sharp grounder toward the left side hole which he turned into a double play as Mulhern scored. Bryant Nelson tied the game with a single to left.

Bill Simas (2-0) worked a perfect eighth to earn the win.

The Barnstormers move on to Bridgeport for the start of a home-and-home series against the Bluefish. Action will kick off on Monday evening with the completion of a suspended game that was halted by rain with the score even at 4-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning of a seven-inning game.

The regular nine-inning game will feature Josh Hall (9-4) for the Barnstormers and Kevin Mannix for Bridgeport.

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Atlantic League Stories from August 9, 2010


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