Four-Run First Puts Barnstormers In Hole
September 25, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
Southern Maryland's first two batters beat out swinging bunts, igniting a four-run inning en route to a 6-1 win over the Lancaster Barnstormers in the third game of the best-of-five Freedom Division Series Friday evening at Regency Furniture Stadium in Charles County, MD.
The Blue Crabs have taken a 2-1 lead in the series, pushing the Barnstormers to the same place they were a year ago when they recovered to take Somerset in five.
Fred Lewis led off with a roller that eluded the grasp of right-hander Joe Gardner. By the time second baseman Tyler Bortnick fished out the baseball, it was too late to retire Lewis. Casey Stevenson pushed the replay button and hit nearly an identical weak grounder on the right side with a charging Bortnick again eating the ball as the Bllue Crabs had runners at first and second with nobody out.
Gardner proceeded to walk Zach Wilson and Reggie Abercrombie to force home a run. Jovan Rosa beat a ground ball to Anderson Feliz, but the third baseman's force play throw home bounced away from Charlie Cutler for an error. Gardner struck out Craig Maddox for his first out, but Jamar Walton stung a two-run single into right for a 4-0 lead. Gardner settled down and retired 16 of the next 18 Blue Crabs hitters.
However, unlike so many occasions in the second half, the Lancaster at bats were unable to respond. The Barnstormers picked up a two-out run in the top of the second on a bad hop single by Feliz that scored Brian Cavazos-Galvez. After a walk to Zach Collier moved Feliz to second, the Barnstormers did not advance another runner to scoring position until two outs in the ninth when Kevin Rivers and Charlie Cutler reached Cody Eppley with back-to-back singles.
Jon Leicester (1-0) worked six innings, yielding five singles and two walks while striking out six. He departed after walking Cutler to lead off the seventh. Orlando Santos entered and got Feliz to ground into a 6-4-3 double play on a ball that was never handled cleanly by Frawley but deflected perfectly to Bryant Nelson at second.
It was that kind of night.
Casey Frawley homered off Gardner to start the seventh, and Maddox tacked on a run in the eighth with an RBI single off Blake Hassebrock as the Blue Crabs pulled away.
Shunsuke Watanabe (7-5) will make the start for the Barnstormers on Saturday evening against right-hander Tim Sexton (1-1). Fans may tune into 1390-AM, WLAN; rumba1390.com or the I Heart Radio cell phone app, beginning at 6:15.
NOTES: The Barnstormers are 4-2 in elimination games in franchise history...Lancaster has managed only 18 hits, five for extra bases in the series...Feliz had six of the seven RBI...Before the single by Walton, the last nine runs scored by Southern Maryland off Gardner had Regency Furniture Stadium had not come on an RBI hit.
Atlantic League Stories from September 25, 2015
- Blue Crabs Use a Combination of Pitching and Timely Offense - Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
- Ducks Take Series Lead with 9-4 Win in Game 3 over Patriots - Somerset Patriots
- Bats Break out to Give Ducks Series Lead - Long Island Ducks
- Four-Run First Puts Barnstormers In Hole - Lancaster Stormers
- Blue Crabs Late Inning Surge Not Enough in 6-5 Loss - Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
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