September 7-8

Had Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening they made their final appearance on North Prince Street for the season as the Barnstormers hosted the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in game #2 of the weekend series. After winning the opener on Friday the Stormers lost on this night 7-2. Before the game there was a ceremony saluting local heroes, among the honorees were two young men who rescued a small child from abduction and a firefighter who suffered severe burns in performance of duty. In the game itself the Barnstormers trailed 3-0 in the fourth, a Kevin Howard RBI double and a run-scoring single by Dayton Buller made it 3-2. That would be all the club could muster as the Crabs put it away in the late innings, Jeff Bennett got the start and took the loss. On Sunday afternoon the clubs met in the series' rubber game at 1:35. During my days in the industry I was never a big fan of day games especially during the peak summer months, between the heat and humidity and the usually quick turnaround from the night before I was never crazy about them in the least. On this day in Lancaster it was partly cloudy and cool with low humidity, since it was the Stormers final home game there was really no reason not to be there. In pregame ceremonies pitcher Dwayne Pollok and outfielder Ryan Harvey were named the team's co-Most Valuable Player, outfielder Jerry Owens was honored with the club's award for community service. The Barnstormers took a 1-0 lead in the first under strange circumstances: Olmo Rosario singled, took second on a error, stole third and scored when the throw from the catcher hit him in the head and ricocheted into the stands (fortunately he was uninjured thanks to the protection his batting helmet provided). The Crabs responded quickly to take a 2-1 lead, in the sixth Gustavo Molina's RBI hit tied the game. In the ninth inning Atlantic League history was made as original Barnstormer Ross Peeples (the last remaining member of the inaugural 2005 team) entered the game in relief. This was his 312th career pitching appearance in the ALPB which established a new league record. The game was finally resolved in the eleventh when the Blue Crabs pushed home two runs to win it 4-2. Rich Rundles started for the Stormers, Brodie Downs was the pitcher of record. The Barnstormers finish the season on the road, with six games left to play they have an outside shot at a playoff spot but the odds are not in their favor. Take care, thanks for reading.