September 12-14

Tuesday night on North Queen Street as the Barnstormers began their final home series of the regular season, the Long Island Ducks (fresh from the Monday makeup game in York) were the opponent. Minor League Baseball season is over, the Barnstormers' roster received some reinforcements with the return of Caleb Gindl and Darian Sandford. In the Tuesday opener the Stormers pulled out a tough 3-2 win. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the third, Josh Bell's solo home run in the fifth knotted the score. In the seventh the Stormers loaded the bases with two out, Beau Amaral's base hit scored one run and another came home on Cole Garner's bases-loaded walk. Long Island got one back in the eighth but Anthony Carter worked a spotless ninth to earn the save, R.J. Hively won it in relief of starter Tommy Shirley. On Wednesday the Ducks squared the series with a win that from the Stormers' standpoint could only be called disheartening. The Ducks led 2-0 in the third, in the bottom half Sean Halton's RBI double got the Stormers on the board. In the sixth LI extended the lead to 3-1, Caleb Gindl's two-run home run in the home half tied the score. Each team tallied in the eighth, the Stormers's run coming courtesy of a Gindl RBI hit to set the stage for extra innings. In the tenth the wheels fell off the cart as the Ducks took advantage of two fielding errors to score five runs and win it going away 9-4. Starting pitcher Scott Sebald (ex-Texas Ranger property recently added from the Frontier League) went six innings in his home debut, Kaohi Downing suffered the loss in relief. Thursday was the final regular-season home game, the Barnstormers handed out their team awards. Trayvon Robinson received the Community Service Award and Sean Halton was named via fan vote the team's MVP. The Ducks continued their momentum with a three-run first inning but from there it was all Stormers. In the second Halton singled and scored on Steve Clevenger's RBI hit, that 3-1 deficit held until the bottom of the eighth. Josh Bell doubled and scored on a Lance Zawadzki single, two batters later Cole Garner's RBI hit plated Zawadzki to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth the Barnstormers loaded the bases, a two-out single by Darian Sandford scored Clevenger from third with the game-winner 4-3. Rommie Lewis started and worked into the seventh. Anthony Carter pitched the ninth inning and picked up a rare "closer's win". The Stormers' victory allows the club to stay within striking distance of a playoff berth, that will be decided over the weekend in York. Take care, thanks for reading.