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.