AtL Somerset Patriots

Patriots Split Twinbill Against Lancaster

Published on June 26, 2011 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Lancaster, PA - After a 16-inning marathon on Saturday night, the Somerset Patriots and Lancaster Barnstormers split a pair of seven-inning contests on Sunday at Clipper Magazine Stadium with Somerset taking game one 9-5 and Lancaster winning a pitchers' duel in the nightcap 2-1.

In the opener, the Patriots blew up their longtime arch-nemesis John Halama. The veteran left-hander, in his sixth career start against Somerset, was busted for four runs in the 3rd inning, capped by a Josh Pressley three-run homer. The Patriots got three more against Halama (1-1) in the 5th, including one on a Jeff Nettles RBI - his first hit in 20 at-bats - and added two more in the 6th to push their rival out after 5.2 innings. Halama had never lost against Somerset and all five of his starts had been quality outings before Sunday. He yielded 12 hits and nine runs, both career-highs against the Patriots, fanning three and walking two.

Meanwhile, Kevin Reese made his first start since being relegated to the bullpen after his June 7 start. Reese (2-1) performed well with the cushion given to him by the Patriot offense. The right-hander went 5.1 frames, allowing five runs, four earned, striking out four for his first win since May 28. Casey Cahill finished the 6th inning while Ben Grezlovski saw the tying run come to the plate in the 7th but left the bases loaded for the victory.

Mike Hernandez drove in a pair of runs in the opener.

Chris Oxspring would take the ball in game two for the Patriots and deal his second consecutive quality start. The right-hander loaded the bases with no one out in the 2nd but worked out of a jam, yielding just one run on a sacrifice fly from Angel Flores. The Patriots would tie the game on spot-starter Yunior Novoa in the 4th on a Pressley RBI double, driving in Fernando Cortez. Novoa finished 4.0 frames, his longest outing of the year in just his third start, surrendering just three hits while striking out five.

The Barnstormers jumped out in front in the bottom of the 4th. With runners at the corners and one out, Gilberto Mejia laid down a safety squeeze bunt bringing home Aaron Herr to give Lancaster a 2-1 lead. Mejia, thrown out at first, would argue the call with umpire Chris Rick and was promptly ejected. Lancaster manager Butch Hobson came out to dispute the call and was also ejected. Hobson would take first base, sign it with a marker, and hand it to a young fan before exiting the park.

The Patriots got an opportunity to tie the game in the 6th, putting Cortez at second base against Kris Regas. Justin Segal entered, walked Hernandez, but got Pressley to bounce into a threat-ending double play. The Patriots got Jeff Nettles on to start the 7th against Jonah Bayliss but pinch-runner Elliott Ayala would be stranded at third as the ex-Kansas City Royal retired the next three men in order for the save.

Oxspring (0-4) finished 6.0 frames, allowing just three hits and two runs but without the run support, lost his fourth straight decision. Ross Peeples (6-2) earned the win with a scoreless 5th inning for Lancaster.

Somerset (19-31) and Lancaster (30-19) will square off in the finale of a five-game set on Monday evening. Derell McCall (1-2, 8.68) will be activated as he takes on ex-Big Leaguer JD Durbin (0-0, 5.14) with coverage beginning at 7:00 pm on 1450 WCTC-AM and www.wctcam.com.

NOTES: The Pressley homer on Halama was just the second one that he had allowed to Somerset in 42 career innings...Halama had only allowed six total earned runs in his career against Somerset before the nine allowed on Sunday...Halama's only other poor start against Somerset was not in the regular season. It came in the 2009 Atlantic League Finals when he took a loss in the clinching Game Four...each team has hit 11 homers in the first seven meetings of the year, a series in which Lancaster has taken five of eight...with the win in the nightcap, Lancaster held on to a 1.0 game lead in the Freedom Division on York...the Patriots elimination number against Lancaster is now just 3.

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Atlantic League Stories from June 26, 2011


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