Hagerstown 17, Lancaster 9
It was a beautiful 15-game ride for the Lancaster Stormers.
On Thursday night at Hagerstown’s Meritus Park, the car ran out of gas.
Hagerstown struck for nine runs in the bottom of the first inning, routing the Stormers, 17-9, to hand the visitors their first loss since May 25.
For one brief moment early in the night, it looked like the 16th win was in Lancaster’s grasp. Shawon Dunston, Jr. led off the game with a walk and stole second. Trace Loehr singled him home and went to third as Joseph Carpenter extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a double inside the third base bag. Chris Proctor scored Loehr with a grounder, and Carpenter rode home on a double over the head of left fielder Justin Williams by Gaige Howard.
The 3-0 lead did not last long. Carsie Walker (2-2) walked Demetrius Moorer to start the home half of the inning. The next three batters singled, bringing up Blake Berry with the bases loaded and no one out in a 3-1 game. Berry chopped the ball to the first base side of the mound. Walker attempted to force Cito Culver at the plate, but his throw was behind Jack Conley, trickling away for an error that allowed two runs to score. Justin Willaims drove home another for a 4-3 lead.
Walker was able to pick up two outs but could not get through Ozzie Abreu, who singled into center for a 5-3 lead. Moorer, batting for the second time in the inning, singled to center as well, chasing Walker from the start. Nile Ball took over and allowed a two-run double to right center by Culver. Two batters later, Welington Dotel drove home the ninth run of the inning with yet another single to center.
If enough damage had not been done in the first inning, the Flying Boxcars used four doubles in the bottom of the second to produce four more runs and a 13-3 lead for Malik Binns (2-4), who carried the game through the fifth inning.
Despite the huge early deficit, the Stormers still managed to amass 14 hits for the game, with everyone but Proctor picking up at least one. Kyle Kasser led the way with three.
Lancaster heads home to take on the High Point Rockers for a three-game series beginning on Friday night. Right-hander Noah Bremer (4-1) will make the start against right-hander Neil Ramirez. Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball, starting at 6:40.
NOTES: Carpenter is 30-for-80 (.375) in his streak…He is tied for the fourth longest in franchise history…With a hit on Friday evening, he will tie Caleb Gindl and Matt LeCroy for the second longest…Gaige Howard stretched a streak to six games, and Dunston to five…Hagerstown had scored only 18 runs in the first eight games of the season series…Lancaster finished the night two games behind York in the North race.
High Point 15, Staten Island 5
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The High Point Rockers clubbed a season-high six home runs in downing the Staten Island FerryHawks 15-5 at SIUH Community Park on Thursday night. Ryan Grotjohn and Evan Edwards (Southern Guilford HS/NC State) each hit a pair of homers and Ben Aklinski added a grand slam.
The win puts the Rockers just two games back of Gastonia in the Atlantic League race for the South Division first half pennant. The Rockers are now 28-16 while Gastonia stands at 30-14.
The Rockers tallied twice in the first off FerryHawks’ starter Mike Shawaryn (L, 4-2). With one out, Evan Edwards doubled and Ben Aklinski and Colin Moran each drew a walk to load the bases. Zander Wiel followed with a two-run single to put the Rockers up 2-0.
That lead grew in the third when Brian Parreira led off the frame with a single and was followed by Martin Figueroa with another single. A walk to Edwards loaded the bases and set the stage for Aklinski’s grand slam. It was the seventh of his career as a Rocker and his second of the season.
High Point starter Ben Braymer (W, 2-1) went six innings and held Staten Island to just three hits while striking out two.
The Rockers grew their lead to 7-0 on a solo homer by Ryan Grotjohn in the fifth.
Staten Island tallied a single run in the fifth on a Luis Castro home run to pull to within 7-1. But Edwards hit a three-run blast in the top of the sixth to put High Point on top 10-1. For good measure, Edwards hit another three-run homer in the seventh as High Point’s lead grew to 14-1.
Drew Maggi hit a three-run homer off High Point reliever Braeden Ogle in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Rockers’ lead to 14-4. The FerryHawks added another run in the bottom of the eighth to pull within 14-5 but a Connor Owings solo blast in the top of the ninth led to a 15-5 final.
Edwards finished the night three-for-four with four runs scored and six RBI. Grotjohn was two-for-five with two solo homers and two RBI.
The Rockers will not head to play a three-game series at Lancaster starting Friday at 6:45 p.m. at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
NOTES: High Point’s six home runs are the most by an Atlantic League team this season . . . It is also the second-most home runs in a game in club history . . . The Rockers hit seven homers vs Gastonia on Aug. 21, 2022.
Southern Maryland 9, Charleston 5
(Charleston, WV – June 13, 2024) – The Dirty Birds lost in extra innings for the first time this season after losing 9-5 Thursday night. David Lebron, who started for Charleston, allowed only one run in seven innings while striking out 10.
The Dirty Birds bullpen allowed three home runs. In the eighth inning, Gerald Ogando allowed a two-run home run to tie the score. In the ninth inning, Pearson McMahan gave up a two-run blast for the Blue Crabs to take the lead. In the tenth inning, Nick Horvath gave up a grand slam to Miles Williams for Southern Maryland to take the lead for the final time.
The Dirty Birds travel to Southern Maryland Friday to kick-off a six-game road trip. The next home stand is June 21-June 27 at GoMart Ballpark.
York 10, Long Island 8
(Central Islip, N.Y., June 13, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the York Revolution 10-8 on Thursday night in the rubber game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
York struck for two runs off Ducks starter Nick Tropeano in the first inning on Rudy Martin Jr.’s solo homer to right-center field and a wild pitch that plated Donovan Casey. Michael Berglund’s sac fly to right and Matt McDermott’s solo homer to left made it 4-0 Revolution.
Long Island cracked the scoreboard in the fourth on Tyler Dearden’s RBI single through the right side off Revolution starter Aaron Fletcher. David Washington answered though with a solo homer to left-center in the fifth, restoring York’s four-run lead at 5-1.
The Ducks erupted for four runs in the fifth inning to tie the game at five. Ryan McBroom’s RBI single, a wild pitch that scored Manuel Geraldo and a two-run single by JC Encarnacion highlighted the inning. However, the Revolution took the lead back with a five-run sixth, highlighted by RBI singles from McDermott and Casey plus a three-run homer to right by Washington.
Long Island stormed back again with three runs in the eighth inning to make it a 10-8 game. Kevin Higgins scored on a passed ball, Ivan Castillo collected an RBI single and Geraldo scored on a throwing error. However, the Ducks were unable to complete the comeback.
Tropeano did not factor into the decision but gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in two innings with one strikeout. Fletcher (4-2) earned the win, tossing six innings of five-run ball, allowing nine hits and a walk while striking out three. Trevor Bettencourt (1-2) suffered the loss, surrendering five runs on four hits and a walk in one inning with two strikeouts. Matt Turner collected his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth, working around two hits and a walk while striking out three.
Dearden led the Ducks offense with three hits and an RBI. Castillo and McBroom each added two hits, an RBI and a run.
The Ducks hit the road on Friday night to open a three-game series against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Meritus Park. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Stephen Woods Jr. (2-3, 6.15) gets the start for the Ducks against Flying Boxcars righty Dylan Sabia (1-0, 5.47).
Lexington 6, Gastonia 5