October 1-5

October began on a Wednesday which meant we were finishing the week's street hockey schedule. One West game and two crossovers were on the docket: JBE Auto Transport beat McCleary's, Union Station defeated American Bar&Grill and Yorgo's beat Old School. Derek and Devyn refereed, Wally ran the clock. The morning errand run was all that happened on Thursday, Jenny had asked if we could do lunch on Friday instead. Friday evening was a big night for sports in Lancaster with football at McCaskey versus Penn Manor and the Barnstormers at home versus Sugar Land in the Atlantic League championship series. I usually walk to JPM for football games but on this night I drove over because (a) there was rain forecast for later in the evening and (b) I intended to go to the ballpark afterwards if the ballgame was still going. The football game was uncompetitive in the first half, PM led 24-0 at the break and extended the lead to 31-0 in the third quarter. The Red Tornado got on the board on a Randolph Speller 75-yard catch-and-run, a Kyaire Bynum 44-yard TD reception and a 5-yard scoring carry from La'Detrius Sibley but it wasn't enough as PM held on for the 31-19 win. JPM's mark drops to 2-4, they stay home to face Warwick on the 10th. It started to mist during the latter part of the football game, it was still raining lightly when the game ended. I got to my car, turned on the ballgame and heard they were in the eighth inning so I headed across town. The Barnstormers had won the first two games of the series in Sugar Land, a win on this night would clinch the league title. Marty and Dick were there, Marty had been calling me at McCaskey all evening with updates. The Stormers trailed 4-0 in the sixth before rallying to tie it 4-4 in the seventh, the Skeeters scored in the top of the eighth to go ahead 5-4. Just as I was arriving the Barnstormers knotted the game at 5-5, I parked and went inside for the duration. The scene was remarkably surreal: with the rain falling the seating bowl was virtually empty, most of the crowd was standing on the concourse trying to stay dry. The 5-5 tie remained intact through the ninth inning and through two innings of extra play. In the twelfth the Skeeters put two on the board for a 7-5 lead and the prospect on a game #4 on Saturday night became a distinct possibility. In the bottom half the Barnstormers showed their mettle, with two men on base Greg Golson doubled off the high wall in right field to tie the game at 7-7. Relief pitcher Evan Englebrook retired Sugar Land in order in the top of the thirteenth, in the bottom half Sweet Victory was finally achieved. Gabe Jacobo came to bat with one out and deposited the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence for the game-winning home run and a stunning 8-7 Barnstormers victory. The Atlantic League championship is the second in the franchise's ten-year history and the first since 2006. The game ended at 11:43, with it all I walked into the house after midnight. Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother was all that went on the rest of the weekend, nothing else happened because nothing else needed to. Take care, thanks for reading.