Lancaster 13, Staten Island 8
The Lancaster Stormers cranked out hits all night long. Well, except when they had the bases loaded.
Lancaster set a season high with 20 hits in a 13-8 romp over the Staten Island Ferry Hawks at SIUH Community Park in the fourth of a six-game series.
The Stormers also set a season-high with 17 runners left on base, including stranding the sacks full in three different innings.
Nick Ward went 4-for-7 with a pair of RBI. Seven other Stormers had multi-hit games, including Slater Schield coming off the bench in the late innings.
Alex Isola had the biggest night with four RBI, three of which came on a homer to dead center in the fourth inning.
Shayne Fontana doubled home a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to stake the FerryHawks to an early lead, but the Stormers roared back to score ten unanswered runs.
Ward and Isola each singled home a man in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. Joseph Carpenter lined a base hit into right center to give Lancaster its first lead. A fourth run scored when pitcher Shane Barringer (0-1) attempted to start a double play on Ariel Sandoval’s comebacker, but no one was covering second. Nick Lucky picked up the fifth run with a base hit to right center.
Isola’s blast made it 8-2. Ward added his second RBI single of the night in the fifth inning, and Carpenter tacked on a sac fly for the 10-2 lead.
Things started to get interesting in the bottom of the sixth. Christian Scafidi, who struck out the side in the fifth, yielded three runs in the bottom of the sixth, two on another double by Fontana as the FerryHawks cut the lead to 10-5. Brandon Martorano homered to dead center off Kyle Johnson (2-0) after Lancaster had scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh.
Newcomer Billy Sullivan walked Fontana and hit Tim Borden with a pitch to start the eighth. Nate Scantlin’s hot grounder to short went through Lucky for an error with a run scoring. One out later, Eddy Diaz beat out a grounder to third on which Nick Ward made a diving stop. Phil Diehl took over and got a ground out from Mark Contreras with a run scoring. Backup catcher David Melfi took an 0-2 pitch out of the yard foul down the left field line before striking out.
The Stormers came back to rap out five straight hits to open the ninth off position player Aaron Takacs, and Diehl needed to face only three batters in the bottom of the inning to nail down his fifth save.
NOTES: Lancaster had managed only 32 hits in the preceding six games…The previous season high had been 14…Ward had more than two hits for the first time all season…Johnson has won, and Diehl has saved, two straight games…Isola had his second four-RBI game…Schield has reached safely in 18 of 19 games…He is 4-for-4 in the series.
High Point 6, Hagerstown 3
HIGH POINT, NC- Ben Aklinski’s sixth inning grand slam erased a 3-2 Hagerstown lead and propelled the High Point Rockers to a 6-3 win over the Flying Boxcars Friday night at Truist Point. The homer was Aklinski’s 10th of the season and his 10th career grand slam as a Rocker.
With the win, the Rockers lead the Atlantic League’s South Division at 23-8, and own a 6.5 game lead over second place Southern Maryland. The loss drops the Boxcars to 6-25.
After a brief rain delay that pushed the start back 25 minutes, the Rockers’ Luis Gonzalez got the show on the road by slamming his seventh home run of the season in the first, giving the Rockers a 1-0 lead.
Hagertown’s Welington Dotel started the fourth inning with a solo homer off Rocker’s starter Erich Uelmen (W,3-1), evening the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the fourth, High Point’s Aidan Brewer drew a walk before stealing both second and third base, which he turned into a run on a throwing error by Hagerstown catcher Isaias Quiroz, putting the Rockers ahead 2-1.
Uelmen appeared to be in trouble in the fifth when allowed a lead-off triple to Ossie Abreu. But the veteran righty was able to escape the jam with three consecutive infield ground outs.
After Uelmen allowed a walk and a single with one out in the sixth, Hagerstown’s Chris Kwitzer banged a two-run single off reliever Kyle Halbohn (W, 1-0) to put the Boxcars ahead 3-2.
Aklinski’s grand slam came off Hagerstown reliever Donald Goodson (L, 0-1) after he had walked Carlos Amezquita and Cody Wilson. After going 3-0 on Luis Gonzalez, Hagerstown opted to intentionally walk him and face Aklinski with the bases loaded. That proved to be a fateful decision for the Flying Boxcars when Aklinski hit his go-ahead grand slam.
Tommy Doyle earned his fifth save of the season with three innings of scoreless relief.
The Rockers will take on Boxcars once again Saturday, May 31, for the second game of the series at 6:35 pm at Truist Point.
NOTES: Ben Akliniski is just one stolen base away from becoming just the third player in Atlantic League history to collect 100 homers and 100 stolen bases in a career . . . Aklinski has 110 career homers in his five years in the league and has 99 stolen bases.
Long Island at York, suspended
(May 30, 2025 – York, Pa.) Tonight’s York Revolution game against the Long Island Ducks has been suspended after the completion of two and a half innings due to persistent inclement weather and forecasted severe storms.
The game will resume on Saturday, May 31, as part of a single-admission doubleheader, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The suspended game will be completed first, followed immediately by a seven-inning matchup. Gates will open at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets from tonight’s suspended game may be exchanged for tickets to any remaining 2025 regular season home game (subject to availability).
Exchanges may be made in person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office at WellSpan Park or by calling (717) 801-HITS. On game days, the ticket office is open from 10 a.m. until the end of the fifth inning. On non-game days, it is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Charleston 7, Lexington 6 (11)
Gastonia at Southern Maryland, postponed