AtL Lancaster Stormers

Barnstormers Trump Long Island's Ace

Published on August 6, 2011 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


Very few teams have had any success against Mike Loree this season. Matt Wright had had none against the Long Island Ducks.

Saturday night, those fortunes turned as the Lancaster Barnstormers and Wright toppled the Ducks and Loree, 3-1, at Bethpage Ballpark.

The win boosted Lancaster into a virtual tie with the York Revolution in the Freedom Division's second half.

Long Island struck first against Wright (3-8) as Javier Colina followed up a pair of walks with a two-out RBI single to left in the third, but the ‘Stormers quickly answered as Tommy Everidge unloaded his 22nd home run of the season, a bomb to left, leading off the fourth.

Wright, who was 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA in three previous starts against Long Island, then had to survive a series of perilous innings to stay in the tie. In the fourth, Lew Ford led off with a double to right center and immediately took third on a wild pitch. However, the big Texan battled back with a pair of strikeouts around a walk to J.R. House and got Dan Lyons on a harmless fly ball to right to end the threat.

In the next two frames, Wright got plenty of support from his own defense and a couple of baserunning missteps by the Ducks. Long Island loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth, bringing up designated hitter John Rodriguez, the Atlantic League's #2 RBI man. With the count, 3-2, Rodriguez ripped a liner to Gilberto Mejia. Ray Navarrete had bolted from second and was doubled off. Lew Ford sent a one-hopper to the hole at short which was flagged by Iggy Suarez and turned into a force play as Wright escaped, tie intact.

Matt Watson made a marvelous diving catch in left on a leadoff line drive by Matt Esquivel in the sixth. House doubled down the third base line, and Matt Padgett singled into right with House holding at third. Lyons took his turn hitting a line drive at Mejia. Padgett found himself one step too far off first, and the inning ending double play again kept Long Island from pushing ahead.

Through the first six innings, Lancaster did not have a runner as far as third against Loree (13-3), except for the Everidge home run. The Barnstormers only had a mild threat in the seventh with two outs and newcomer Travis Metcalf aboard at first on a walk when Matt Tupman barely cleared the lunging try of Kennard Jones in left for an RBI double, giving Lancaster a 2-1 lead.

Aaron Herr added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Wright, who allowed five hits and five walks, came out after six. Four relievers faced just 10 batters over the final three innings to nail down the win. Bayliss, the last of the four, earned his 12th save in 12 tries.

Lancaster and Long Island meet again on Sunday at 5:05. Cesar Carrillo (3-8) will take the mound for Lancaster against right-hander Mark Diapoules (5-1). The game will be aired on Fox Sports Radio, 1490, WLPA and streamed live on sportsjuice.com.

Check out the Lancaster Stormers Statistics

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Atlantic League Stories from August 6, 2011


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