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AtL Lancaster Stormers

Peeples Cools Off York As Stormers Gain Split

September 11, 2010 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


The Barnstormers pitching staff got a huge lift from Ross Peeples on Saturday evening as the lefty pitched seven strong innings en route to a 5-3 win over the York Revolution in the back end of a day-night doubleheader.

York had captured the opener, 19-0, as Corey Thurman pitched five no-hit innings in his first start since coming off the disabled list.

With the second game win, Lancaster kept its slim playoff hopes alive. Somerset's magic number has been reduced to two.

Peeples (4-0) allowed six hits and three runs over seven innings while walking two and striking out two. He retired the final ten batters that he faced and 13 of the last 14. Nine of the outs came on ground balls.

York, which had scored 40 runs in the first two games of the series, struck again in the first. Scott Grimes drew a leadoff walk and sprinted to third on a single toward the right field corner by Liu Rodriguez. Vince Harrison brought a run across with a slow bounder to second, and Jose Herrera knocked a single to left to put runners at the corners as York threatened to run away early. Peeples was able to put a clamp on the inning, getting James Shanks to roll into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Barnstormers rebounded in the top of the second. L.J. Biernbaum dropped a perfect bunt to the third base side of the mound for a one-out single and advanced on a balk move by Kevin Angelle (0-2). Octavio Martinez smacked a single into center. Scott Grimes throw skipped off catcher Joel Collins and rolled away. Martinez raced toward third and barely avoided a tag by Harrison. One out later, he scored when Rodriguez dropped a pop up to shallow right by Lloyd Turner.

Lancaster's middle of the order assaulted Angelle in the third. Bryant Nelson led off with a solid single to left and scored in front of Aaron Herr's 21st homer of the year, a blast over the 37' wall in left. Reggie Taylor roped a triple into right center and scored the Barnstormers' fifth run on a lined single to left by Ryan Mulhern.

Peeples struggled to get through the third. Rodriguez banged a one-out single into left, and Harrison followed with a double over Taylor's head in left. The southpaw struck out the lefty swinging Herrera for the second out, but Shanks was able to chop a two-run single up the middle to trim the lead to two.

Neither team scored again. Peeples turned the ball over to Tim McNab, who worked a perfect eighth. Tim Hamulack got past a one-out walk in the ninth to earn his 11th save.

Earlier, York put together its second straight vicious attack on Lancaster's staff. Grimes tripled to right center, and Rodriguez blooped a single down the left field line to piece together a first inning run off Ben Fritz (3-7). Grimes beat out a bunt single to start the fourth, and two more pop flies dropped in front of Lancaster outfielder to build a five-run third. Ian Bladergroen brought the third and fourth runs of the inning across the plate with a double to left center, and John Pachot tacked on an RBI double for a 6-0 lead.

Austin Hinkle gave the Barnstormers what should have been a scoreless fourth were it not for consecutive two-out misplays. York took advantage of a throwing error by Nelson and a third strike wild pitch as Shanks singled to right, and Bladergroen blasted a three-run homer off the right field tents.

Pat Overholt and John Muller were treated no better as the first nine batters reached base in a nine-run fifth inning. Bladergroen finished the second game with six RBI and was one clogged base short of hitting for the cycle.

Thurman retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced. The closest that Lancaster came to a hit off the York fan favorite came with two outs in the fourth. Herr launched a drive to deep right center that Grimes was unable to reel in as he slowed down after a long run, but the play was ruled an error. The Barnstormers did not pick up their first hit until Turner greeted reliever Ryan Basner with a ground single up the middle to start the sixth.

The two clubs wrap up the series with a 6:30 start on Sunday evening. Rick Bauer (0-4, 3-13) will start for Lancaster against Tim Harikkala (1-1). Following the game, the Barnstormers head home to close out the season with a seven-game stand against Newark and Long Island at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

NOTES: Herr's homer closed him to within three of Ryan Minor's franchise RBI record...Martinez hit safely for the eighth consecutive game...Peeples win gives him a 16-15 career record with the Barnstormers...Fritz' ERA jumped to 3.71 which keeps him narrowly ahead of Somerset's Josh Miller...The second game win was the first victory for the Barnstormers in nine tries at Sovereign Bank Stadium in 2010.

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