AtL Lancaster Stormers

Bortnick's Big Night Keeps Barnstormers In First

June 26, 2018 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


Tyler Bortnick belted a grand slam and drove in five runs total, leading the Barnstormers to an 8-6 victory over the Sugar Land Skeeters Tuesday evening at Constellation Field.

The win moved Lancaster's lead over the Skeeters back to 1 1/2 games.

Bortnick was involved in all but one of the Barnstormers' runs. He reached on a throwing error and scored on a Darian Sandford single in the third to give Lancaster an early 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, the Lancaster third baseman was hit by a pitch, moved up on an infield single by Sandford and scored on a single by Rico Noel.

Lancaster trailed, 3-2, entering the sixth when Trayvon Robinson opened the inning with a double to left against Dan Runzler (2-1). Runzler got one out, then walked Carlos Garcia and Anderson De La Rosa to fill the bases. The southpaw went to 3-1 on Bortnick before the Ohio native took the next pitch onto the picnic deck rooftop in left for his third homer of the season and a 6-3 lead.

The only run not involving Bortnick scored on the heels of the grand slam when Sandford walked, stole second and scored when Noel's fly ball was dropped by Courtney Hawkins in left.

Anthony Giansanti had an equally big night for the Skeeters, proving to be the only stumbling block for Brooks Hall (5-2). The Sugar Land center fielder doubled and scored on a Matt Chavez single in the third. He gave the Skeeters a 3-1 lead in the fourth with a two-run homer to left and matched it with a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to cut Lancaster's lead to 7-6.

Bortnick tacked on an RBI single in the seventh, and the Barnstormers turned the game over to its trusted bullpen.

Kevin Munson, who got the final two outs in the sixth, allowed a leadoff double to Kyle Kubitza in the seventh but retired the side in order to hold the lead. Scott Shuman yielded a Matt Chavez double in the eighth but also kept the Skeeters off the board.

Matt Reynolds was tested in the ninth. The lefty closer had to work around a leadoff infield single by Denis Phipps. One out later, he walked Barrett Barnes to bring the winning run to the plate. Reynolds retired Hawkins on a fly ball to right, bringing up Giansanti. Almost fittingly, Giansanti popped up to Bortnick to end the night as Reynolds gathered his 15th save.

The Barnstormers send Joe Gardner (3-4) to the mound against lefty James Russell (1-2) on Wednesday. Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 7:45 EDT.

NOTES: Blake Gailen walked and singled to extend his hitting and on-base streaks to 16 and 24, respectively...He stole two bases, giving him 85 as a Barnstormer...Sandford also stole a bag, his 37th of the year and 82nd of his time in Lancaster...Shuman's two strikeouts give him 24 in his last 12.2 innings of work...Hall picked up his fifth win on his 28th birthday...Bortnick's slam was the club's second of the year...Ryan Casteel has the other.

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Atlantic League Stories from June 26, 2018


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