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Lancaster 3, York 2

Pitching dominated in this rival matchup, and it was Lancaster’s Brent Teller who came out on top in the end.

Teller (3-3) recorded a team and season-high 11 strikeouts against the York Revolution en route to a Barnstormers victory, 3-2. The 11 strikeouts eclipsed his previous season-high was of eight, also against the Revolution.

The right-hander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before yielding a leadoff double to J.C. Encarnacion.  Aside from that and three walks, Teller was flawless.

York’s starter Jorge Martinez kept pace with Teller for the majority of the contest, recording nine strikeouts of his own in just six innings of action.

With both pitchers dealing, there was only one hit registered between both teams until the bottom of the fifth inning.  Martinez (2-3) became the first to blink, and the Barnstormers gave Teller some run-support.

Andretty Cordero ignited the fire with a sharply hit infield single down the third base line, then Anderson Feliz followed with a ground single through the right side. Jake Hoover placed a perfect sacrifice bunt toward Martinez to move both runners into scoring position.

Devon Torrence snapped a three-game personal hitless streak, roping a double into the right field corner, to put the Barnstormers up 2-0.

An inning later, the Barnstormers tacked on another run courtesy of Kelly Dugan. Dugan continued his dominance of York, smashing his eighth home run against the Revolution this season, and tenth overall.

York turned Encarnacion’s double into a run.  Melky Mesa moved him over to third with a deep fly to right. Nellie Rodriguez followed suit and lifted a sac-fly to left, scoring Encarnacion to make the score 3-1.

Teller finished the seventh and entered to start the top of the eighth, but, after getting Connor Lien to pop out, walked the next two batters, prompting manager Ross Peeples to make a switch.

West Tunnell was inserted with runners on first and second, and immediately plunked Edwin Figuera which loaded the bases. York capitalized on the Lancaster wildness on a sac-fly to right off the bat of Troy Stokes Jr. that scored Jack Kenley to decrease the Revolution’s deficit to one.

Tunnell escaped the inning as Encarnacion sent a slow-roller to Cordero at third who scooped it up on the run and made the throw to first to end the threat.

With the Barnstormers failing to add any insurance in the bottom of the eighth, the game was placed in the hands of the righty Josh Graham, who slammed the door shut on the Revolution to secure the save and the win for Lancaster.

The Barnstormers return to action tomorrow, May 28 for Game 2 against the Revolution with the first pitch slated for 6:30.  Oscar De La Cruz (1-0) will make the spot start for the Barnstormers against right-hander Eduardo Rivera.  Fireworks will follow the game.  Fans may also tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel, beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:  Lancaster’s starters put up 20 consecutive scoreless innings before Encarnacion scored in the seventh…Teller became the first Barnstormer since Cameron Gann on August 27, 2021 to strike out 11 in a game…It was his third quality start…The Barnstormers have now won seven of their last nine to move to within one game of .500…The club moved into second place and also picked up a game on Southern Maryland…Lancaster now trails by eight.

Charleston 5, Southern Maryland 0

(Charleston, WV, May 27, 2022) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (23-8) collected just two hits in a 5-0 loss on Friday night. The Charleston Dirty Birds’ (14-17) sporadic offense and suffocating pitching secured the victory, opening a four game Memorial Day weekend series.

Denson Hull (L, 1-2) got the start for the Blue Crabs. The southpaw entered Friday’s matchup with the third best earned run average in the Atlantic League (1.44), but ran into trouble early. After Diego Goris laced an RBI single in the first, the offense continued in the third. Anfernee Seymour blasted a solo-shot to lead off the frame, and two batters later, Goris mashed one of his own. Three runs were all Charleston could muster off of Hull who issued a quality start, pitching six innings while allowing three runs on eight hits.

Jordan Stephens (W, 1-2) was lights out for Charleston, allowing just one bloop single in the third inning to Michael Baca, while striking out seven batters in six innings. While Stephens entered play with an ERA near 8.00 and was fresh off his worst outing of the season, the former Cleveland Guardians’ farmhand found a groove in the series opener.

In addition to Baca’s blooper, the Crabs picked up just one more hit in the contest, a Zach Collier bunt single in the eighth, in an otherwise anemic offensive night. The Birds added two more in the eighth inning off of Alex Merithew, as Alfredo Gonzalez launched his first homer of the season.

Southern Maryland will look to rebound with Mitch Lambson on the mound on Saturday, as he goes toe-to-toe with Charleston’s Stephen Chamblee.

Gastonia 5, Long Island 3

(Central Islip, N.Y., May 27, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Gastonia Honey Hunters 5-3 on Friday night in the opener of a four-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Gastonia plated the game's first run on a bloop RBI single to right field by Luis Castro in the second inning off Ducks starter Anderson DeLeon. The Ducks tied it at one in the bottom of the inning on Deven Marrero’s sacrifice fly to right, which plated Joe DeCarlo.

Both teams then exchanged zeroes until the top of the ninth when a two-out grand slam to right field by Emmanuel Tapia gave the Honey Hunters a 5-1 lead. Long Island rallied for two runs in the ninth on Jake Zarrello’s RBI single to right and Lew Ford’s sac fly to right, but the Ducks were unable to pull even. 

Neither starter factored into the decision. DeLeon fired seven innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters. Gunn lasted four innings, giving up a run on three hits and three walks. Sam Bordner (5-2) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning, working around a hit and a walk. Sandy Baez (1-1) suffered the loss, surrendering four unearned runs on two hits and four walks over two innings with a pair of strikeouts.

L.J. Mazzilli led the Flock offensively with two hits. 

The Ducks and Honey Hunters continue their four-game series on Saturday night. 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). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Fireworks Spectacular. It’s also a Lucky Seat Saturday, presented by Long Island MacArthur Airport. During the game, one lucky fan will win a free roundtrip for two to any of Breeze Airways’ 28 destinations. Right-hander Akeel Morris (0-3, 8.31) takes the mound for the Ducks against Honey Hunters lefty John Anderson (2-3, 2.14).

High Point at Staten Island, postponed