August 1-3

The new month began on a Saturday and for Jenny and Helen it was another baseball night in Lancaster. I must admit I miss the old 6:00 starts on Sundays (that used to be the night Jenny and her mother would attend) but I doubt the Barnstormers bring the Sunday nights back anytime soon, for me a 5:00 Sunday in York is the next best thing. On this night the Somerset Patriots scored twice in the first but the Barnstormers evened it in the bottom half on a Kevin Rivers RBI triple and a Kent Matthes sac fly. The next five scores belonged to Somerset, by the seventh inning it was 7-2 Patriots. A Mike McDade solo home run and an Anderson Feliz RBI hit drew the Stormers within three, in the eighth a Luke Hughes two-run double made it 7-6. In the ninth the Barnstormers had the tying run on third but couldn't push it home as the Patriots held on for the 7-6 win. Ray Hanson started for the home team and took the loss. There was the usual Saturday night fireworks show after the game but the ladies and I made the usual Saturday night exit when the game ended. The teams continued the series on Sunday afternoon in brilliant sunlight and high-80s temperatures, I continued my practice of staying in and staying cool. The Barnstormers won to take a 2-1 series advantage, on Monday night in the wraparound game they played their own particular version of Home Run Derby. The Pats took a first-inning 1-0 lead but a Zach Collier solo shot in the bottom half knotted the score. In the second inning Lance Zawadzki went yard with a man on but Somerset rebounded with two in the third and one in the fourth to go ahead 4-3. Luke Hughes homered in the sixth to tie the game once again but Somerset scored twice in the seventh to go up 6-4. A Mike McDade RBI groundout in the bottom in the inning drew the Stormers within one, in the ninth Collier's second home run of the night squared the game at 6-6. Anderson Feliz followed by reaching on a Somerset error, Kent Matthes' double to right-center scored Feliz with the winning run in an improbable 7-6 victory. Marcus Walden (the last of six Barnstormer pitchers used) picked up the win, Nate Reed started and worked five innings. The ballclub plays its next eight on the road including a four-game set in York from the 9th to the 12th, the next home game is Thursday the 13th against Sugar Land. Take care, thanks for reading.