May 18-20

Monsoon season returned overnight into Friday, in the afternoon word came down that the Barnstormers evening home game had been postponed and rescheduled for Sunday as part of a doubleheader. It was still raining on Saturday morning, I was with Jenny and her mother for lunch. I said to Helen that I couldn't imagine they would want to come into town for the ballgame because I couldn't imagine that the game would be played. In the afternoon the rain tapered off and it was announced that the game was incredibly still on, I decided to stay in because sitting outdoors in cool, damp and rainy conditions isn't exactly my idea of fun anymore. The organization had its annual salute to veterans scheduled in the pregame, I suspected the plan was to get that accomplished and then call the game due to field conditions but the game itself actually went on. As the night progressed some spotty rain moved through which was followed by fog, under the circumstances I was just as glad to be comfortable inside at home. On Sunday the weather improved dramatically, it was clear and sunny with no rain anywhere to be seen. I'm a well-known non-aficionado of day games but after Friday's washout and Saturday's wipeout I was in the house for the doubleheader at 1:00. At the end of 2017 the league lost a franchise with the demise of the Bridgeport Bluefish, as a result the Road Warriors (the league's as-needed travel team) are on the schedule for the first time since 2011. The league started in 1998 and there have been occasions where the circuit has had an odd number of cities, when that happens the Warriors are activated to balance the schedule and bridge the gap between the lost franchise and a new team. In 2011 they filled in between the loss of Newark and the advent of Sugar Land, this time around they are keeping the seat warm for High Point, North Carolina (expected to join the league in 2019). The Warriors typically struggle since they simply are not built to be a contender, on this day they dropped both ends of the doubleheader. In game #1 Barnstormer starter Jonathan Albaladejo lost his bid for a no-hitter in the seventh inning but still went the distance for a 4-1 win. Anderson De La Rosa scored on an error in the third inning, Blake Gailen's solo home run and ex-San Francisco property Carlos Garcia's RBI double in the fourth added to the lead, in the fifth Rico Noel scored on a fielders choice. In the second game the Barnstormers put six on the board in the first inning, highlights included another RBI double for Garcia and a grand-slam home run by ex-Seattle Mariner property Ryan Casteel, the sixth run scored on an error. Tyler Bortnick's RBI hit in the fourth scored the club's seventh run, it proved to be the difference as the Stormers prevailed 7-6. Former Arizona Diamondback property Brooks Hall got the start and the win with last-inning relief from Matt Reynolds. Take care, thanks for reading.