Somerset Walks off on 'Stormers
August 14, 2019 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
Gift Ngoepe has been quite the August addition (a "Gift", if you will) for the Lancaster Barnstormers. Signed by the team on August 6, Ngoepe has started in all eight games the Barnstormers have played since then, and he has hit to a .296/.345/.741 clip with three home runs and six runs batted in. Two of those HRs and four of those RBI have come in the first two games at Somerset.
Despite Ngoepe homering and driving in two early Wednesday, however, Somerset was able to eke out a 4-3, 10-inning win in a matinee game at TD Bank Ballpark.
While Ngoepe (1-3, HR, 2 RBI) was the highlight offensively, it looked for the bulk of the game that the Barnstormers' pitching staff would be able to provide enough to squeak past the Patriots. Starting pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo threw 6 1/3 strong innings, giving up just two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out two. Relievers Pedro Echemendia and Scott Shuman picked up their third and sixth holds of the season. Echemendia entered the ballgame in the seventh inning with one out, and a runner on third and was able to get a groundout before picking up a punchout to end the inning; Shuman worked the eighth and wiggled out of a bases loaded jam, fanning cleanup batter Edwin Espinal and Gabriel Bracamonte.
Cody Eppley came in for the ninth inning and struck out the first batter he faced, but back-to-back one-out singles and a deep fly out put runners at the corners with two outs. Craig Massey tied the game with a soft line drive single to right.
Devon Torrence was placed at second base to open the 10th inning, a Darian Sandford bunt single (plus a steal of second base), and an intentional walk issued to Andrew Aplin loaded the bases for the Barnstormers with one out, but Patriots' relief pitcher Luis Cruz (2-3) forced Destin Hood to bounce into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
Garrett Granitz (0-2) was summoned to face the Patriots for their 10th inning with Justin Pacchioli placed at second. Will Kengor's single to center advanced the runner to third- Espinal grounded to first with Pacchioli holding, and an intentional walk to Bracamonte loaded the bases. Alfredo Rodriguez lofted a fly ball to center. The speedy Pacchioli was able to tag up and score from third base to walk it off when it was deemed that Anderson De La Rosa did not have the ball in his glove when he applied a tag.
The Barnstormers opened the scoring in the second inning when Hood and K.C. Hobson led off with back-to-back doubles, with Hobson picking up his 53rd RBI of the season. Ngoepe's sacrifice fly to left field two batters later scored Hobson to extend Lancaster's lead to 2-0, and his home run to left field in the fourth inning made it 3-1 in favor of the visiting Barnstormers off Patriots' starting pitcher David Holmberg, who pitched five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. The Somerset bullpen (James Pugliese, Nate Roe, and Cruz) held Lancaster to just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in the final five frames.
Up next for the Barnstormers (12-19, 36-65 overall) is the series finale with the Patriots (12-20, 54-48 overall), set for tomorrow night at 7:05pm. Right-hander Connor Overton (0-0 with a 1.50 ERA) is scheduled to get the start for the Barnstormers, while left-hander Zach Dodson (Atlantic League debut) is scheduled to go for the Patriots. Fans may follow the game on the Atlantic League website and the Lancaster Barnstormers' Twitter account, @gobarnstormers. The game will also be carried on the Barnstormers YouTube channel, beginning at 6:45.
NOTES: Aplin singled in the third inning and has now hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games...Lancaster's starters have thrown eight quality starts in the last 11 games...Sandford swiped three bases total and now has 53 for the season...Hood has 21 RBI in his last 20 games...
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Atlantic League Stories from August 14, 2019
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