Lancaster 7, Hagerstown 0
The Oscar De La Cruz that was the MVP of the 2022 Atlantic League Championship Series may be back.
De La Cruz (1-2) blanked the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on two hits over six innings in a rain-interrupted, 7-0 Lancaster victory Wednesday evening at Meritus Park.
It was Lancaster’s fourth straight win by six or more runs and the eighth win in 10 second half games for the division-leading Stormers.
De La Cruz retired the first 11 batters he faced before hitting Welington Dotel with an 0-2 pitch in the fourth inning. He found more difficulty in the fifth, surrendering a leadoff single to Blake Berry and a walk to Joe Campagna before escaping with a 6-4-3 double play from Ozzie Abreu.
Steffon Moore loaded the bases on an error and two walks in the seventh but struck out Abreu to end the threat. Jackson Rees allowed only a one-out walk in the eighth, and Carsie Walker survived a pair of baserunners in the ninth to complete the shutout.
Most of Lancaster’s offense came in the fourth off Mike Kickham (4-7). Shawon Dunston, Jr. picked up a one-out single and moved to second on a passed ball. He remained there as newcomer Joe Stewart flied to deep left. Chris Proctor drew a walk to fill in first base, and the pair executed a double steal. Kyle Kasser drilled a 3-2 pitch past shortstop Osmy Gregorio to score two. Damon Dues followed with a triple over the head of center fielder Damon Dues. Isan Diaz made it 4-0 with a single to right. Niko Hulsizer walked. Mason Martin and Joseph Carpenter followed with RBI singles to cap the six-run inning.
Stewart doubled, took third on an error and scored on a Proctor grounder in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Noah Bremer (7-4) will take the hill for the Stormers on Thursday evening against right-hander Yeudy Garcia (1-1). Fans may tune into FloBaseball at 6:25.
NOTES: Dues has reached base 15 times in the four-game winning streak…Lancaster came within three outs of a shutout on Thursday and blanked Long Island on Saturday…The game was delayed by rain with two outs in the top of the sixth…Steffon Moore has struck out 11 in his last 6 1/3 innings.
Long Island 3, Staten Island 1
(Staten Island, N.Y., July 17, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 3-1 on Wednesday morning in the middle game of a three-game series at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.
Long Island took a 2-0 advantage versus Staten Island starter Taylor Lepard in the fourth inning thanks to back-to-back two-out base hits from Kole Kaler and Ivan Castillo. The FerryHawks got to within 2-1 in the sixth against Ducks starting pitcher Jimmy Robbins by way of a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alejandro De Aza.
The Flock regained a two-run cushion at 3-1 in the eighth as Aaron Antonini belted a solo home run over the left field wall and into the trees for his seventh roundtripper of the season. The storyline all game long was Robbins as the southpaw came out of the gate retiring the first 16 FerryHawks batters he faced before allowing a one-out walk to Roldani Baldwin which was then immediately followed by a double from Jordan Howard.
Robbins (5-3) was victorious after giving up just one run on one hit across six innings pitched, walking one and striking out four as he was a winner for the fifth time in has last six starts while also notching his third quality start in 2024. Lepard (0-3) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings of work, walking a pair while striking out four. Ramon Santos struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth straight save in as many appearances.
Six different players in the Long Island starting lineup each had one hit apiece, including Jackie Bradley Jr. as the outfielder extended his hitting streak to 24 consecutive ballgames and his on-base streak to 31 straight contests.
The Ducks and FerryHawks wrap up their three-game set on Thursday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Daniel Corcino (4-4, 5.01) gets the nod for Long Island against Staten Island righty Christian Capuano (7-3, 4.51).
Long Island returns home on Friday, July 19, to open a three-game series with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks T-Shirts, courtesy of Discover Long Island. It’s also a Tap Room Friday, and Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons with a special offer from The Tap Room as fans exit the ballpark. Tickets for the game, and all Ducks games, are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
High Point at York, Suspended
(July 17, 2024, York, Pa.) — The July 17 York Revolution game against the High Point Rockers has been suspended in the bottom of the 3rd inning due to tonight’s weather. The game will be finished on Thursday, July 18, when the Revolution and Rockers will resume play, completing a nine inning game before playing a seven-inning game shortly after in a single-admission doubleheader at WellSpan Park beginning at 11 a.m. with gates opening at 9:30 a.m.
Tickets for tonight’s game may be exchanged for tickets to any remaining regular season home game in 2024 (based on availability), including the make-up doubleheader. Exchanges may be made in person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office at WellSpan Park or by calling the ticket office at (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, the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Gastonia 14, Southern Maryland 6
Charleston 26, Lexington 2