Wednesday, August 31, 2016
August 31
Saw on the internet where the Barnstormers won the nightcap on Tuesday, it ended shortly after 10:30. Anytime a doubleheader is completed in less than five hours is rare, this was just a touch over four-and-a-half which is almost unheard of (and I can speak from experience, I lived that life for thirty-five years). Spent Wednesday morning in Quarryville with Jenny, in the afternoon a brief rain shower passed through the area. I went over to the ballpark at 6:00, the tarp was still on the field in anticipation of another system approaching from the west. By 7:30 the rain was finally gone, the tarp was rolled up and the game started around 8:15. Justin Jackson got the call on the mound and pitched five perfect innings, in the sixth Long Island touched him for two hits and a run to go up 1-0. In the seventh Blake Gailen hit a solo home run to tie the score, K.C. Hobson's RBI hit put the Barnstormers ahead 2-1. That was the final score as Jackson picked up the win allowing just three hits over seven innings, Pete Andrelczyk worked a spotless eighth with Cory Burns finishing it for the save. Historical footnote: Gailen's home run was his 62nd as a Barnstormer which sets a new club record, the old mark was held by Lance Burkhart (an original Stormer from 2005 to 2008). Take care, thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
August 30
My mother had an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday morning for which she needed a driver. I had planned on seeing Jenny for lunch in the meantime but a migraine headache forced her to stay home. In the evening we were back at the ballpark, the Barnstormers and the Ducks meeting for a double-dipper starting at 6:00. This was the makeup from July 4 when the clubs played four scoreless innings in a steady rain before conditions deteriorated beyond salvation. On this night there were no weather concerns of any kind, it was a picture-perfect night for baseball. In the opener Long Island jumped out to a three-run lead in the third, K.C. Hobson's solo home run in the fourth got the Stormers on the board at 3-1. The Ducks added two in the sixth to go up by four, Mike Jacob's RBI hit in the bottom half made it 5-2 which proved to be the final score. First-year professional Connor Root (from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts) got the start and took the loss. The seven-inning game was over shortly before 8:00, the nightcap started about thirty minutes later. K.C. Hobson continued his hot streak with a two-run home run in the first inning, Long Island scored a single run in the third. At that point it was close to 10:00, I decided to bag it and head home for a hot shower. Take care, thanks for reading.
Monday, August 29, 2016
August 29
Monday morning lunch at the mall, in the evening we were back at the ballpark. The Long Island Ducks were in town for the start of a four-day five-game series. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the second and increased the advantage to four by the seventh inning. In the home seventh Kevin Ahrens hit a solo home run to put the Stormers on the board but that would be the lone score for the home team, starting pitcher Joey Maher (recently added from the New York Yankees organization) worked six-plus innings and took the 4-1 loss. The series continues with a makeup doubleheader on Tuesday (a result of the rainout back on July 4) and single games on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
August 26-28
We enjoyed a few days of cooler weather at the start of the week but the oven was back open for the weekend. Friday night baseball on North Prince Street, the Bridgeport Bluefish were the opponent in the opener of a three-game series. In the Atlantic League roster turnover is a way of life, earlier in the week the Barnstormers lost two pitchers to affiliated leagues and another player left the club to be with his wife as they await the arrival of their first child. On this night the Stormers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. Caleb Gindl started the game with a solo home run, Trayvon Robinson followed with a double and rode home on K.C. Hobson's two-run shot onto the picnic deck in right field. Hobson went yard again in the third to make it 4-0 but the Bluefish rallied to within one run in the seventh. A two-run homer by Robinson in the eighth put the cap on a 6-3 Barnstormer win, pitcher/infielder Justin Jackson got the start on the mound and worked six solid innings for the W. On Saturday we had our usual lunch in Quarryville, in the evening Jenny and her mother were along for game #2. This night saw the Stormers go up 1-0 in the first on another Hobson longball but the Bluefish scored the next six runs. The home team got one back in the sixth on a Mike Jacobs sacrifice fly but a four-spot in the Bridgeport seventh put it away as the 'Fish won it 10-2. Relief pitcher Hitoshi Fujie made the spot start and went three innings, he was followed by R.J. Hively and newcomers Ben Ancheff and former New York Yankee property Jonny Drozd. Ancheff is an interesting story, he was a three-sport star in high school (football as an offensive lineman and wrestling as a heavyweight in addition to baseball) and played college ball at St. Thomas University in Florida. On this night he made his professional debut and was the Stormers' pitcher of record. The series finished on Sunday in the typical afternoon heat with a Barnstormers victory, the ballclub stays home for a series against Long Island beginning on Monday night. Take care, thanks for reading.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
August 22-25
The early part of the new week featured the final two nights of summer street hockey with a ballgame thrown in for good measure. On Tuesday we played night #8 of hockey, Green versus Tan and Blue versus Orange. Thursday was the final night with Green facing Blue and Tan against Orange. The final standings (which are of course completely meaningless) featured one team at 7-2, two tied at 4-5 and the last at 3-6. A total of fifty-eight players participated with forty-three appearing in at least five of their team's nine games. This was the first time we had run a summer season since 2008 and it was very well-received, some of the guys were actually sorry to see it end. On Wednesday morning I was with Jenny, we had our usual midweek lunch in Quarryville. In the evening I made another trip west across the river, the York Revs were hosting the Sugar Land Skeeters. York won the series opener on Tuesday in walkoff fashion, on this night it was just about all Skeeters. The Revs scored in the second on a Josh Wilson RBI single, in the fourth on Bryan Pounds's run-scoring single, in the seventh on a Sugar Land error and in the eighth on Keith Castillo's RBI hit. In the meantime the Skeeters put together several big innings and won it going away 14-4, James Simmons got the start for the Revs and suffered the loss. This was my twelfth game in York thus far in 2016, three each in May, June, July and August (that symmetry was not planned, it just worked out that way). The Revs have a 5:00 game on Labor Day Monday so I should be there at least once more during the regular season, depending on the schedule I could make a playoff game but we shall see. Take care, thanks for reading.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
August 20-21
Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were back at the ballpark for game #2 between the Revs and Stormers. This was the Barnstormers' first Saturday home game since July 23 but for us it was the first one since the 16th (we missed the 23rd because of that birthday party). Another noteworthy sports celebrity meet-and-greet was the special attraction, on this night it featured former pro basketball star Dennis Rodman. In the game itself the visiting Revs went up 1-0 in the second on a Keith Castillo solo home run. In the home third the Stormers tied it on a Caleb Gindl RBI double, Treyvon Robinson followed with a two-run shot to make it 3-1. In the fifth the Revolution scored three of their own on a sac fly RBI from Kevin Rivers, an Isaias Tejeda single and a Travis Witherspoon triple but the Stormers evened it 4-4 in the bottom half on Blake Gailen's solo home run. In the seventh the Revs took the lead for good on back-to-back jacks, Andres Perez's two-run shot followed by a solo from Tejeda. The Stormers closed to within 7-5 in the bottom half on a Gindl sac fly but Witherspoon's three-run home run in the eighth put the Revs up 10-5. K.C. Hobson's solo home run in the bottom half was offset by an RBI double by Michael Rockett in the top of the ninth, when the smoke cleared the Revs emerged with the 11-6 decision. Micah Owings went seven innings for the victory, Ryan Dennick was the loser in relief of Terry Doyle. The series was set to end on Sunday in the afternoon heat but Mother Nature made her presence known, several early-afternoon thunderstorms forced postponement. The season series stands tied at 8-8, the Community Cup will be decided when the clubs meet up again for three days in Lancaster in September (that series includes a doubleheader thanks to the Sunday rainout). Take care, thanks for reading.
Friday, August 19, 2016
August 19
Friday night baseball on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers hosting the York Revolution as the War Of The Roses (Atlantic League version) continued on the east side of the river. The Revs were the last visiting club I had not seen thus far in Lancaster, they were in town back in May for a weeknight series when I had other things going on. The Barnstormers were home from a seven-day road trip, this was just the fourth home date the club has had in August. Former big-leaguer Jose Canseco was in the house, he participated in a pregame home run derby and a meet-and-greet session during the game itself. On this night the visiting Revs held their own home run derby, it started with a three-run shot by Bryan Pounds in the second inning. The Stormers got on the board in the third, Kevin Ahrens singled and scored on an error to make it 3-1. A solo homer by ex-Barnstormer Kevin Rivers gave the Revs a 4-1 lead in the fifth, Sean Halton replied with an RBI single in the sixth to draw the Home Team within two. Andres Perez went yard in the eighth to extend the Revs' advantage, in the ninth a seven-run salvo ended all controversy. RBI hits by Rivers and Keith Castillo (another ex-Stormer), a two-run double by Isaias Tejeda and a three-run bomb by Michael Rockett salted the game away. The Barnstormers picked up a cosmetic run in the bottom half on an Ahrens RBI hit but it mattered little, the Revolution winning emphatically 12-3. The starting pitchers were of record, Tony Pena for the Revs and Bryan Evans for the Stormers. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
August 15-18
The first few days of the new week consisted of warm temperatures, two nights of street hockey and one very noteworthy day. Tuesday the 16th was Jenny's birthday, she was in town on business and we had lunch together. I had asked her if she wanted her gift that day or on Wednesday when I would be at her place, she elected to take it on Tuesday. She didn't ask for much because she has very modest tastes but she was very happy with what she received. I've said it many times and I'll say it again: we've been together since the early part of 2002 and my life would be empty without her, she means the world to me and nobody could ever take her place. The celebration (as it were) continued on Wednesday, we had lunch for the first time in many months at a favorite spot in the southern end of the county. There is a pizza/sandwich shop located outside of Quarryville that was devastated by fire in September of 2015, they recently reopened and this was our first time back there. It is a family business run by good people and it's great to see them back up and running. On Tuesday night we played night #6 of summer hockey, the second go-around for Orange vs Tan and Blue vs Green. Thursday night began the final-third of the schedule, Tan met Blue and Orange opposed Green. The season winds down with games on the 23 and 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
August 12-14
The projected weather forecast for the weekend was spot on, it was plain and simply uncomfortable, pasty and HOT. On Friday I made another trip west to York, the Revs opened a series against the Bridgeport Bluefish. Offensive highlights were few and far between for the home team on this night, the visiting Bluefish scored three in the second and were never headed in a 6-0 win. The Revolution had thirteen baserunners over the course of nine innings but only four base hits, none coming in a key spot. James Simmons started and went six innings, he was followed for an inning apiece by Luis Perdomo, ex-Camden Rivershark Michael Click and former Cincinnati Red Jose Arredondo. Saturday lunch with Jenny was effectively the end of the weekend, there was nothing else left to do largely because of the weather. There were all sorts of excessive heat warnings and advisories posted, the message seemed to be "unless you HAVE to be outside, STAY IN" and I took them at their word. Take care, thanks for reading.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
August 10-11
Had lunch with Jenny on Wednesday morning in Quarryville, in the evening I was at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers recently completed a twelve-day road trip, on Tuesday they opened a three-game set at home with a loss to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. In game #2 on Wednesday the Barnstormers got back into the win column with a 6-3 decision. An RBI hit from popular infielder Yusuke Kajimoto put the Stormers up 1-0 in the third, in the fifth SM took the lead with a two-spot. In the bottom half Kajimoto walked and scored on Trayvon Robinson's sac fly to tie the score, one inning later Sean Halton's solo home run onto the hill in left field put the Stormers back ahead 3-2. The Crabs pulled even in the eighth but the deadlock was broken for good in the bottom half. The first two Stormer hitters reached base for Halton who promptly deposited his second home run of the night into the hill in left for the game-winning runs. Pete Andrelczyk won it in relief of Terry Doyle, Cory Burns worked the ninth for the save. On Thursday we played night #5 of the summer hockey season, Orange vs Blue and Tan vs Green. We don't keep official standings but thus far one team is 4-1 while the others are all 2-3. In a perfect world two teams would finish 5-4 and the other two 4-5, that would be as close to even as we could get. It was a very warm night, they are calling for some extreme conditions over the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
August 8-9
Monday lunch at the mall as usual, after supper I made a rare Monday trip west across the river to York. The Revolution was back home from a seven-day road trip, the New Britain Bees were the opponent. This game completed the York portion of my personal Atlantic League "tour" (if you will), the Bees were the last visiting club I had not seen at PeoplesBank Park. I've seen every visiting club in Lancaster at least once except (ironically) the Revs but they come east later in the month. On this night in York the fans were treated to a wacky, up-and-down, last-shot-wins type of ballgame. New Britain put three on the board in the first, the Revs got one back in the bottom half on an Andres Perez RBI groundout. The Bees scored one in the second and four in the third to lead 8-1, in their half York picked up a run on a double play to cut the deficit to six. In the fourth the home team exploded for five runs, RBI hits from Travis Witherspoon and Jared Mitchell, a Joel Guzman sac fly and a two-run home run by Brian Pounds drew the Revs within one at 8-7. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the eighth, with two out and the bases loaded Mitchell's double into the alley in left-center chased home three runs to give the Revs a 10-8 lead. In the ninth Mike DeMark set the Bees down in order to earn the save, Julio DePaula got the win in relief of starter Ty'Relle Harris. On Tuesday Jenny was in town, we had lunch together at the plaza. In the evening we were at Reservoir Park for night #4 of summer street hockey. The games on this occasion were rematches of the season's first night, Green faced Orange and Blue played Tan. They'll meet for a third and final time on August 18. Take care, thanks for reading.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
August 1-7
The first week of August was largely quiet except for the usual daytime activities, two nights of summer hockey and one evening at the ballpark. Jenny wasn't feeling well early in the week, she had a doctor visit on Tuesday. On Tuesday evening we played night #2 of summer hockey at the rink. Orange met Blue and Tan played Green, those matchups happen again on the 11th and 23rd. Back in the 1940s the local newspaper began sponsorship of an annual youth baseball tournament, each year the Midget Division (15 and 16-year-olds) plays its "final eight" at the ballpark. The quarterfinals were played on July 28 and 29, the semifinals were set for Monday with the title game on Tuesday. Afternoon storms on Monday pushed everything back a day, on Tuesday the field was still unplayable. The tournament committee was forced to schedule a rare tripleheader on Wednesday, the first semifinal began at 4:00. In the semis Manheim beat Strasburg/Willow Street and Lititz won over Elizabethtown. The championship game started around 8:20 or so, Manheim rallied from behind to win 8-5 and claim the championship. I was not there for either the start of the day or the finish (I saw online where the title game ended shortly after 11:00) but overall I saw about fours hours of baseball so it was worth the time (I had planned to go to the ballpark for the semis on Monday before the rain ruined it). On Thursday we reconvened at the rink for summer season night #3, on this night Orange played against Tan and Blue opposed Green. Those pairings repeat on the 16th and the 25th (the final night on the schedule). The weekend had little to recommend since there was no pro baseball anywhere, both the Barnstormers and the York Revs play at home in the week upcoming. Take care, thanks for reading.
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