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AtL Lancaster Stormers

Unlucky 13th Nails Barnstormers

June 24, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


One of the bullpens had to cave eventually.

Lancaster entered Tuesday night's game with a string of 25 2/3 innings of shutout relief. For the Somerset Patriots, it was 13 frames. So, it was only natural that the two bullpen crews kept a 1-1 tie going late into the evening.

That was, until the 13th inning.

Somerset erupted for five runs in the top of the 13th to take a 6-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Patriots grabbed a 2 1/2 game lead over the Long Island Ducks in the Liberty Division race.

The Barnstormers had two chances to score multiple runs early. In the second, Somerset center fielder Jonny Tucker made a splendid diving catch of a Bryant Nelson drive into the right center alley, a play that was sandwiched in a pair of Barnstormers singles and kept Lancaster from scoring. In the fifth, Jerry Owens was at second with one out when Kevin Rivers lined a single on one hop to right fielder Scott Cousins. Owens attempted to put the brakes on around third, slipped and fell. The Patriots nabbed him in a rundown with starter Randy Boone tagging him out toward the plate.

Brian Cavazos-Galvez lined a single to left, scoring Rivers with the game's first run.

Lancaster's 1-0 lead lasted all of one out. Nate Spears reached Shunsuke Watanabe for a leadoff home run, his first of the season, in the sixth inning.

Somerset went to the bullpen in the sixth inning with Boone having allowed six hits and three walks through five. Watanabe lasted seven, yielding only three hits and hitting a batter.

The bullpens were more stubborn than dominant. From innings nine thru 12, the Patriots left nine runners on base with both Scott Gracey and Kyle Simon escaping bases loaded jame. Lancaster had the winning run in scoring position in each inning from the 10th thru the 12th, but the Patriots staff was able to pick up the critical third out each time.

Finally, the Patriots went ahead in the 13th. David Vidal led off with a double to right center off Scott Patterson (0-2). One out later, Greg Hopkins yanked a line drive past third baseman Luke Hughes' glove and down the left field line for an RBI two-base hit. Patterson fanned James Skelton for the second out of the inning, but Spears dropped a single into right center to score the second run of the inning. Tucker laid a perfect bunt single down the third base line, and Cousins was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Thomas Neal took a 1-2 pitch into right center for the third double of the inning, clearing the bags for the 6-1 cushion.

Paul Smyth wrapped up the game for the Patriots, nailing it down for Andrew Carignan (1-2).

NOTES: Rivers extended his hitting streak to five, going 2-for-5 in the game...He is now 11-for-22 on the homestand...Somerset's relievers struck out 13 batters in eight innings...All 11 Lancaster hits were singles...Owens is 8-for-18 in his last four games...Cavazos-Galvez had three hits in the game and is 11-for-31 (.355) in the last seven...Somerset's first five at bats with a runner in scoring position in the game all resulted in a ground ball to Hughes...Watanabe has made four starts against Somerset this season without a decision...His ERA against the Patriots is 2.19 and 2.29 against the league as a whole...The game was the fourth extra inning contest between Lancaster and Somerset on the season...Each club has won two...Lancaster had not gone beyond 10 innings in any game prior to Tuesday night's.

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