Lancaster Stormers 8, Lexington Legends 7
The Lancaster Stormers were six outs from a three-game series against the Long Island Ducks to decide a playoff berth on Sunday afternoon.
Then the Stormers pulled off a stunning comeback from a 6-0 deficit.
Nick Ward slugged a game-tying three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to get the game to extra innings. Quincy Hamilton hit a dramatic walkoff shot with one strike left in the home tenth, sending the Stormers to the playoffs with an 8-7 win over the Lexington Legends at Penn Medicine Park.
The Stormers will meet the York Revolution in the North Division Series for the second straight season. Games One and Two will be held next weekend in York. Lancaster will host the remainder of the series at Penn Medicine Park, beginning on Tuesday, the 23rd. The winner of that series will play the winner of the South series between High Point and Gastonia, starting on September 27 at the North winner.
After Nic Laio shut the door on the Stormers for seven innings on just five hits, the Lexington lead started to crack in the eighth against lefty Kaleb Sophy. Yeison Coca reached on an infield single. Xane Washington made a sliding catch in center to keep Melvin Mercedes off base, but Ward beat out a ground ball deep into the hole on the right side to add a second runner. Luis Castro singled up the middle to knock in Lancaster’s first run. Ward later scored on a wild pitch as the lead was trimmed to 6-2.
Hamilton flied to right on the first pitch from Jonathan Haab in the ninth, but pinch hitter Kevin Watson, Jr., Alex Isola and Coca strung together three straight singles to bring the tying run to the plate. Haab fanned Mercedes on a 3-2 pitch, but Ward found the outer environs with a 400-plus foot home run to tie the score.
A two-out throwing error by Coca allowed Lexington to score a go-ahead run in the top of the tenth before Phil Diehl (3-4) struck out Isaias Quiroz to end the inning.
Two Lancaster hitters were only able to move Castro, the ITB runner, to third. Hamilton went to 2-2 before forcing a full count against Jimmy Loper (5-2). He then hit a laser onto the right field deck for the winning blow, sending the team and its fans into a frenzy.
Brian Fuentes was largely responsible for the Lexington lead. The third baseman doubled home a pair of runs in the top of the sixth for a 3-0 edge. Three more scored on his homer in the eighth.
The lead would have been bigger were it not for some stellar defensive plays by the Stormers. Nick Lucky made a sliding catch in center against E.J. Cumbo in the third and turned it into a double play. Daniel Amaral climbed the wall in the left field corner to rob Washington of a homer in the seventh. Nick Ward made two diving catches on bunts in foul territory, and Mason Martin made a sliding grab of a foul pop up in the eighth.
Lancaster will host the Long Island Ducks in the final three-game series of the season starting on Tuesday. Noah Bremer (10-4) will take the hill for Lancaster against right-hander David Griffin. Fans may tune into FloBaseball, starting at 6:40.
NOTES: Ward joined the 20 HR – 20 SB club with his dramatic homer…It came in his final at bat of the season as he heads to represent Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic qualifier in Rotterdam, the Netherlands…He will miss the first round of the playoffs but can return for the Championship Series should the Stormers advance…Both of Hamilton’s homers since joining Lancaster have won games, 8-7…The walkoff homer was the first for the Stormers since Jake Hoover in Game Two of the 2022 Division Series against Southern Maryland and the first in the regular season since Blake Allemand in August, 2021…Lancaster is 160-89 in the second half over the last four years.
York Revolution 5, Long Island Ducks 3
(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 14, 2025) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the York Revolution 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game series and final home game of the 2025 regular season at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
The Revolution took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run to right field by Miles Simington off Ducks starter Juan Hillman. The Ducks countered in the bottom of the second with a two-run single to left by Troy Viola to leapfrog in front.
It stayed that way until the sixth when a three-run home run to right-center by Caleb McNeely put York back ahead 4-2. Long Island closed to within 4-3 in the seventh on Ivan Castillo’s two-out RBI single to right. However, a solo homer to left by Chris Williams in the ninth put the game out of reach.
Kevin Miranda (4-3) picked up the win, tossing four innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits while striking out two. Hillman (9-6) took the loss, conceding four runs on three hits and a walk over five and one-third innings with five strikeouts. Cam Robinson collected his 16th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
Castillo led the Ducks offense with three hits and an RBI. Taylor Kohlwey added three hits and a run, while Cody Thomas chipped in with two hits, a run and a walk.
The Ducks hit the road on Tuesday for their final series of the regular season, as they open a three-game set against the Lancaster Stormers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Penn Medicine Park. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball. Sign up today by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander David Griffin (6-4, 3.87) gets the start for the Ducks against Stormers righty Noah Bremer (10-4, 5.64).
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 1, High Point Rockers 0
WALDORF, Md. – For the second straight game, the High Point Rockers and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs hooked up in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. While the Rockers finished Saturday night with a 2-1 win, the Blue Crabs bounced back on Sunday with a 1-0 victory to end the six-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium.
The Rockers won Saturday’s contest 2-1 by outhitting the Crabs 6-3. Sunday, the Rockers maintained a 4-3 advantage in hits but could not avoid the shutout.
The game was scoreless through five innings until SMD managed a run in the sixth when Jackson Loftin opened the frame with a home run off High Point starter Jake Gilbert (L, 1-3).
High Point’s four hits came off the bats of Luis Gonzalez in the first, Drew Mendoza in the sixth, Bryson Parks in the seventh and Aidan Brewer in the eighth.
The Rockers’ best scoring opportunity came in the top of the ninth when Evan Edwards drew a walk from Blue Crab closer Endrys Briceno (S, 6). Brewer beat out an infield single to put runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Braxton Davidson drove a deep fly to center that Loftin caught up against the wall.
Despite taking the loss, Gilbert was outstanding on the mound, going six innings and allowing just two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Yuhi Sako tossed a no-hit inning in the seventh and Cam Cotter allowed a single hit in the ninth. SMD’s Jason Blanchard (W, 1-0) scattered two hits over his six innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out eight.
The Rockers will enter the final three games of the regular season tied with York for the Atlantic League’s best overall record at 72-61. The Gastonia Ghost Peppers clinched the South Division second half title which will set-up another High Point-Gastonia series for the South Division Championship.
The Rockers will finish the year with three home games this week against the Charleston Dirty Birds. The series starts Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.
NOTES: The 1-0 defeat was the first suffered by the Rockers since a loss to Gastonia on July 9, 2022.
Gastonia Ghost Peppers 14, Charleston Dirty Birds 12
Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 5, Staten Island FerryHawks 4