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AtL Lancaster Stormers

Victory Slips From Barnstormers Grasp

July 2, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release


The Lancaster Barnstormers had Thursday night's game in their hands. And they could not hold on.

Catcher Juan Apodaca dropped a pop up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the tying run to score, and Dan Lyons followed with a game winning drive to left field as the Long Island Ducks surged past the Barnstormers, 7-6, to complete a series sweep at Bethpage Ballpark.

Despite the win, the Ducks were eliminated from first half contention in the Liberty Division race as Somerset clinched with a 7-3 victory at Camden.

With the Ducks trailing, 6-3, Bryan Sabatella greeted Scott Patterson (0-3) with a single to center, and Reegie Corona doubled off the first base bag, putting runners at second and third. League RBI leader Lew Ford doubled to deep right center to drive home two, and Delta Cleary, Jr. a pinch runner the previous inning, lashed a sharp grounder up the middle. Anderson Feliz made the stop, but then threw wildly to first, allowing Cleary to carry the winning run to second.

Patterson fought back. He struck out Jon Griffin and, after an intentional walk to Cody Puckett, fanned Mike Blanke as well. Prentice Redman popped a 2-2 pitch in front of the plate. Apodaca took charge, only to have the ball squirt out of his mitt as Ford scored.

Lyons won the game with his drive over the head of Jake Luce in left.

For 8 2/3 innings, the Barnstormers played one of their best games of the season. Kevin Rivers slammed a two-run homer in the first for a quick lead. Luce and Feliz launched consecutive triples in the second for a 3-0 edge, and a fourth run came across on a pair of singles and a double play in the third.

After the Ducks struck for three runs against Shunsuke Watanabe over the next two innings on an RBI double by Ford and two-run triple by Blake Davis, the Barnstormers were able to hold on some inspired defense. Luce doubled home a run in the eighth, and the Barnstormers stretched the lead one more in the ninth on Mike McDade's sacrifice fly to center, giving Patterson the three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The Barnstormers head home to take on the Camden Riversharks on Friday night, closing out the first half with a Fourth of July weekend series. Joe Gardner (2-1) will pitch for Lancaster against Bill Murphy (1-8). Fans may tune into 1390-AM, WLAN; rumba1390.com or the I Heart Radio cell phone app, beginning at 6:45.

NOTES: The Barnstormers have lost four leads in the opponents' last inning in the last eight days...Rivers homered for the seventh time in the last 18 games in which he has batted...Luce had his first two hits and made a diving catch...Owens led off the game with a single, reaching base for the 14th straight game...He has gotten to first on 29 of 64 plate appearances in those games, an OBP of .453...Pete Andrelczyk struck out a batter for his 15th straight relief outing...He has allowed only one run in his last 24 innings...The Barnstormers rapped out 14 hits, their most in a road game since April 30.

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