AtL Somerset Patriots

Lancaster Homers to Win Over Patriots

May 18, 2011 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Lancaster, PA - The bottom four hitters in the Lancaster order each had a homer and accounted for 10 of the 12 Barnstormer hits as the Somerset Patriots fell 11-4 on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The 6-9 hitters combined to go 10-15 with Terry Tiffee, Kevin Howard, Emerson Frostad, and JC Holt each sending a shot over the short porch in right field. Ten of the 11 Barnstormer runs came from the four homers while Howard had the only other RBI on a single.

In a battle of two first-round draft picks, the Patriots gave starter Kris Honel a 1-0 lead in the 2nd with a JR Hopf RBI single, bringing in Jeff Nettles. But Holt homered in two off Honel (0-1) in the 2nd and Tiffee slammed a three-run shot in the 3rd. Honel would not finish the 4th inning, going just 3.2 innings, yielding five runs while walking a Patriot season-high six batters. Casey Cahill finished off the 4th before giving up a two-run Howard homer in the 6th, giving Lancaster a 7-1 lead.

On the flip side, Jerome Williams - who took a no-hitter into the 6thagainst Somerset on May 8 - was very impressive. Williams allowed the Hopf RBI base hit in the 2nd but would not allow another hit until the 6th. Finally in the 7th, the Patriots got back on the scoreboard. Nettles drove in Josh Pressley before Fernando Cortez extended his hit streak to 11 games with a solo homer, cutting the deficit to 7-3 and pushing Williams (2-0) out of the game. The former San Francisco Giant finished 6.2 innings allowing just the three runs on seven hits while inducing three double plays.

Lancaster killed the momentum with four runs in the bottom of the 7th off Paul Bush. Howard drove in Aaron Herr before Emerson Frostad launched a three-run shot, putting Lancaster in front 11-3. The rain would play a factor in the top of the 8th with two outs. The skies opened up and forced the game into a 54-minute rain delay before getting back underway. Hopf would drive in a 9th-inning run to cut the final margin to seven.

Somerset (4-11) is seven games back of Lancaster (11-4) as the teams wrap up a set Thursday night. A pair of lefties face off when Bill Pulsipher (0-0, 3.18) takes on Ross Peeples (0-1, 4.67) with coverage beginning at 6:25 pm on 1450 WCTC-AM and www.wctcam.com.

NOTES: Nettles' RBI was the 528th of his Atlantic League career leaving him one shy of tying the all-time league record...Cortez's hit streak is the 3rdlongest active in the league... Hopf's RBIs were his first since opening night...the three double plays hit into is the most this season...the bullpen ERA - at 6.71 coming in to the game - ballooned up to 7.16...Norris Hoppermade his Patriot debut, knocking a pinch-hit single in the 9 th after Elliott Ayala knocked a double in a pinch-hit spot to start the frame. Ayala appeared in just his 2nd game this year.

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Atlantic League Stories from May 18, 2011


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