AtL Lancaster Stormers

Maxwell single earns Barnstormers doubleheader split

Published on September 22, 2006 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


The Barnstormers have hit a flurry of home runs in the second half of the season, but they gained a doubleheader split on a much needed single as Keith Maxwell's liner to left center produced to go-ahead run for a 3-2 nightcap victory in front of 5,894 Friday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The visiting Road Warriors captured the opener, 4-3, on Manny Mejia's tie-breaking homer to right in the top of the seventh.

Splitting the doubleheader kept the Barnstormers one game ahead of Atlantic City in the Southern Division with two games to play. The Surf took a 4-2 decision from Newark earlier in the evening.

With the Barnstormers trailing, 2-1, Reggie Taylor led off the fifth inning of the second game with a towering homer to right off Cesar Herrera (2-5). Jason Bowers followed with an infield single, and Jeremy Todd walked, putting Herrera in deeper trouble. Jose Ortiz flied to right for the first out, but Eric Crozier walked to fill the bags. Maxwell then barely cleared shortstop Derek Barrows for his RBI hit and the 3-2 lead.

Brian Whitaker (12-7), who had retired nine in a row entering the sixth inning, left the game with one out and a runner at first. James Lira was greeted by Mejia's fourth hit of the game, a single to left, but escaped from there on a strike out and soft liner to short. Charlie Weatherby hit ex-Barnstormer Jason Bryan to open the seventh. One out later, David Housel skimmed a ground ball along the third base line, which Ortiz kept from the left field corner with a diving stop. Sheldon Fulse struck out, and Teuris Olivares lined to Maxwell at first, giving Weatherby his 15th save of the year, a club record.

Whitaker was reached for two runs on three hits, one an RBI single by Bryan in the second. Todd got the Barnstormers on the scoreboard with his 16th homer of the season, leading off the third.

In the opener, Matt Knox (2-3) made only one mistake in the top of the seventh, allowing Mejia to plant a 2-2 pitch onto the striped canopies over Lancaster's trademark picnic pavilion to break the tie in the seventh. Otherwise, Knox struck out the side in the inning.

It may not have been critical, except the Barnstomers had rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth in the opener.

Jutt Hileman singled with one out off starter Chris Steinborn, and Danny Gonzalez followed with his eighth homer of the year, a drive to deep right center. Reliever Benito Baez walked Lance Burkhart, who moved to second on a ground out by Steve Van Note. Travis Hake delivered the tying tally with a two-out single to center. Burkhart barely beat Fulse's perfect throw to the plate.

Joe Nichols had chased starter John Boker with a two-run blast of his own, his first of the season, in the top of the inning for the 3-0 edge.

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Atlantic League Stories from September 22, 2006


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