Winning Ways Continue
September 17, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
On the night after clinching the second half title in the Freedom Division, the Lancaster Barnstormers employed the same formula that got them there: Fall behind early, surge in the middle innings and turn it over to the bullpen.
Lancaster did them all on Thursday night to pick up a 4-3 victory over the Long Island Ducks, the club's 12th consecutive series opening win.
It was the Ducks striking first against newcomer Edwin Carl (1-0). Mike Blanke doubled into the left field corner with one out in the second. Following a strikeout, Cody Puckett nailed a single into left to put runners at the corners, and left batting Anthony Vega followed with a single through the hole at shortstop for the 1-0 lead. Carl retired Fehlandt Lentini on a fly out to center and proceeded to retire 10 of 11 Long Island batters.
Lancaster jumped into the lead in the third. Tyler Bortnick led off with a solid single to center and scored when Zach Collier launched a long double over Delta Cleary, Jr. in center. Two outs later, Lance Zawadzki singled down the right field line to plate Collier. Zawadzki stole second and scored when Anderson Feliz banged a single into center.
Carl surrendered his only walk of the night to Dan Lyons leading off the Long Island sixth. Player coach Randy Ruiz followed with a two-run homer to the left of the batters' eye, tying the game at 3-3. Carl got the next six hitters to freeze the score at 3-3.
The Barnstormers' seventh got off to a false start when Collier singled to shortstop and then was picked off. Kent Matthes followed with a homer onto the picnic deck off Nick Struck (5-4), giving his club the 4-3 lead.
From there, it was all about Lancaster's bullpen. Scott Gracey and Scott Patterson combined to retire six of seven hitters, yielding only an infield single to pin the game down. Patterson earned his seventh save of the campaign.
Friday night will feature Madison Boer (3-3) against the league's top winner, John Brownell (12-5). Fans may tune into 1390-AM, WLAN; rumba1390.com or the I Heart Radio cell phone app, beginning at 6:45.
NOTES: Matthes' homer was his third in eight games...The Barnstormers won their 27th one-run game of the season...Lancaster needs one more win over the weekend to tie the franchise record for most wins in a half...The Barnstormers went 45-25 in the first half of 2012...
Atlantic League Stories from September 17, 2015
- Palmeiro Smashes Single-Game RBI Record in Rout of Riversharks, 15-5 - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Winning Ways Continue - Lancaster Stormers
- Revs Trade Long Balls with Patriots But Drop Opener by a Run - York Revolution
- Blue Crabs Hang On To Defeat Bluefish In Series Opener - Bridgeport Bluefish
- Late Home Run Lifts Lancaster over Long Island - Long Island Ducks
- Four-Time All-Star Rafael Palmeiro Joins Skeeters - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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