August 19

Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were back on North Prince Street. On this night the Barnstormers fell behind early and never recovered as the Bluefish evened the Lancaster portion of the series with a 10-6 win. It was 6-0 Bridgeport before the Stormers got on the board in the third on a RBI single by Jerry Owens. In the fifth a run-scoring hit by Blake Gailen and a two-run double by Travis Denker made it 6-4 but the comeback was short-circuited as the Bluefish replied with one in the sixth and three in the eighth, a two-run homer by Denker in the ninth rounded out the scoring. Nate Reed (the Reading-area native) made the spot start out of the bullpen and took the loss. It was a bittersweet night for the ballclub as pitcher Lenny DiNardo announced his retirement before the game. It was actually his turn in the starting rotation but manager Butch Hobson elected to have DiNardo make his final professional appearance in relief. He worked one inning and as he left the game PA announcer John Witwer explained the circumstances to the crowd, the fans and players (both teams) responded with a appreciative ovation. DiNardo pitched in the big leagues for Boston, Oakland and Kansas City, in May of 2013 he became the first pitcher in Barnstormers history to throw a no-hitter. His retirement creates an opportunity within the rotation, rumor has that some new faces are joining the club in the coming days (roster movement is a way of life in the Atlantic League). Take care, thanks for reading.