August 24-26

Friday evening: back at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Barnstormers (fresh from a four-game series split in York) were back home for a weekend set with the Somerset Patriots. The Pats won the Liberty Division first-half title, they and Sugar Land are in the postseason while the Barnstormers continue to vie for a playoff berth. At this point it appears that would most likely be as a wild-card entry since the Skeeters are also leading the division in the second half but stranger things have happened. On this night the game itself was a strange thing, Somerset scored five runs in the first inning, they were the only scores all night as the Patriots won by that 5-0 margin. The Stormers managed only five hits on the evening, starting pitcher Ty'Relle Harris (a former York Rev recently added as a free agent) took the decision. On Saturday Jenny and her mother were along for game #2 and there was a definite feeling of deja vu in the air. The Patriots once again put together a big early inning with four runs in the second, in the bottom of the fourth the Stormers got on the board when K.C. Hobson walked and scored on Darian Sandford's RBI hit to make it 4-1. There was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth when the Barnstormers erupted for five runs. Trayvon Robinson and Hobson drew back-to-back walk to start the parade, Vladimir Frias was hit by the pitch to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Robinson from third, after Tyler Bortnick was retired Rico Noel's infield single reloaded the bases. Sanford's RBI single plated Hobson to make it 4-3, Josh Bell followed with a bases-clearing double into the left-centerfield power alley to put the Stormers up 6-4. Matt Reynolds worked the ninth inning picking up the save for winning pitcher Joe Gardner. The series wrapped up on Sunday with a traditional 1:00 start, a Somerset win gave them two of three for the weekend. The Barnstormers are away until September 5 when the Patriots return for another three-game set. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 22-23

Wednesday morning lunch with Jenny, in the afternoon I made a return trip across the river as the Stormers and Revs continued their series. As our hockey games on Tuesday fell casualty to the weather so did the ballgame in York, they were in the top of the fifth inning with two out and the Revs up by three runs when the game was stopped and ultimately called. The makeup game was on this night as part of a 5:00 doubleheader, I was arriving just as the opener was getting underway. The Barnstormers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, Darian Sandford drew a walk and Josh Bell followed with a two-RBI home run to left-center. In the third Sandford and Blake Gailen reached on base hits, Ryan Casteel walked to load the bases. Trayvon Robinson's RBI hit scored Sandford, a Rev throwing error on the play at the plate allowed Gailen to touch in to make it 3-0. K.C. Hobson's sacrifice flyout scored Castell, Vladimir Frias followed with an RBI double bringing Robinson to extend the lead to six. Tyler Bortnick's run-scoring single made it 7-0 Stormers but in the bottom of the inning the Revolution put together some lightning of their own. Newcomers Henry Castillo (ex-Arizona D'backs property) and Roger Diaz (from Grambling State University) started it with back-to-back hits, ex-Stormer Travis Witherspoon walked to load the bases. Alexi Casilla singled to score Casilla, Telvin Nash walked with the bases loaded to force Diaz home with run #2. Wellington Dotel and Jared Mitchell recorded consecutive RBI hits to make it 7-4, a wild pitch brought Nash home from third pulling the Revs within two. Ryan Dent's sac fly to center scored Dotel to end a crazy inning on both sides with the Stormers' lead down to one. In the fourth Gailen doubled and scored on a base hit by Casteel to restore a two-run lead but the Revs got it back in the bottom half, Witherspoon singled and came home on a sac fly by Nash to make it 8-7. From that point the bullpens shut the game down, there was no further scoring as the Barnstormers held on for the victory, Kevin Munson won it in relief of Brooks Hall with Rev starter Logan Williamson taking the loss. The night cap didn't start until almost 8:15, I hung out for about two innings and made my way back east across the Susquehanna. The Revolution won game #2 going away 14-2, the series ended on Thursday night with a 6-4 Stormers win. The season series ends 10-8 in favor of the Barnstormers, as a result the Community Cup returns to Lancaster after a one-year stay in York. For us Thursday night was hockey night at Reservoir Park, the third go-round for Gold vs Blue and Orange vs Green. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 20-21

Here's the postmortem on Sunday night at the ballpark: the game was in the third inning at 11:15 when the rain and existing field conditions finally made it intolerable, play was halted and never resumed. Sugar Land does not play in Lancaster again in 2018 so the logical move is to make it up when the Stormers go to Texas over Labor Day weekend, at this point no decision has been made. The miserable conditions were long gone on Monday morning, in the evening I was in York as were the Barnstormers for the opener of a four-game series. The homestanding Revolution took a 1-0 lead in the first, Alexi Casilla walked and scored on Melky Mesa'a RBI hit. In the visiting second Ryan Casteel singled and took third on Trayvon Robinson's double, a wild pitch allowed Casteel to tie the game and Robinson touched home on a ground-ball double play to put the Stormers up 2-1. A Jimmy Paredes solo home run in the third gave the visitors a two-run lead but in the bottom half the Revs turned the game around emphatically. Back-to-back singles by Alonzo Harris and Casilla put runners on the corners, a wild pitch scored Harris before Telvin Nash's RBI plated Casilla to tie it 3-3. Wellington Dotel followed with a two-run shot to left-center to put the Revs up by two. Jared Mitchell and Ryan Dent kept the line moving with consecutive singles, they would both score on Harris' two-run single. The six-run salvo put the Revolution up 7-3, they would add single runs in the sixth (on a wild pitch) and seventh (Harris RBI single) to extend the lead to six. The Barnstormers added a run in the eighth on a (you guessed it) wild pitch, in the bottom half the Revs scored twice on an RBI hit from Dent and (believe it or not) ANOTHER wild pitch bringing the final to 11-4. A total of five runs in this game were scored via the WP, two for the Stormers and three for the Revs. James Pugliese was the winner in relief of starter Robert Carson, Barnstormer starter Joe Gardner suffered the loss. On Tuesday evening we had planned on a night of summer dek hockey but once again weather became an issue. There were storms all around us but by 6:00 we hadn't seen a drop, by 7:00 the skies were very dark. Most of the guys apparently assumed we weren't playing, each team only had three players and neither had a goaltender. Under the circumstances we decided to postpone the night which proved to be the right move, by 8:00 the rain had arrived and it was just as well we weren't there. The games were rescheduled for Thursday the 30th. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 17-19

Friday night on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers' homestand continued with a visit from the Sugar Land Skeeters. The Atlantic League schedule can be a strange animal at times, this was the Skeeters' second time in town in the last two weeks. In the opener on Friday Sugar Land went up 1-0 in the third, that lead held up until Trayvon Robinson's solo home run in the seventh pulled the Stormers even. In the home eighth Josh Bell and Blake Gailen drew back-to-back walks, a base hit by Jimmy Paredes loaded the bases with nobody out. Ryan Casteel worked a walk to force home the go-ahead run, Gailen scored from third on a ground-ball double play to put the Stormers up by two. Robinson batted next and drew the fourth walk of the inning, Vladimir Frias followed with an RBI single plating Casteel to make it 4-1. That was the final as Kevin Munson picked up the W in relief of Jonathan Albaladejo, Matt Reynolds worked the ninth inning for the save. On Saturday Jenny and her mother were along for game #2, the Stormers broke on top early in the first on Darian Sandford's walk and Gailen's RBI hit. In the third Bell walked and rode home on Paredes' two-run home run to put the home team up by three, in the fourth Anderson De La Rosa was hit by the pitch and scored on a sac fly by Bell to make it 4-0. From there the Skeeters launched a comeback with a run in the fifth, two in the seventh and a single in the eighth to tie the game. The matter was resolved in the tenth when Sugar Land pushed the game-winning run home, Huascar Brozoban suffered the 5-4 loss in relief. The series was scheduled to end with a rare 5:00 game on Sunday but Mother Nature had other ideas. Rain moved into the area overnight and continued well into the afternoon, I went over to the ballpark around 4:30 on the assumption that the start would be delayed. The game was set to start at 5:30 but the field was in poor shape, as soon as the umpires came out for the pregame meeting at home plate there were discussions taking place. The Barnstormers took the field and as soon as the anthem was over the umpires called for the grounds crew to continue work on the infield dirt. At 7:45 there was a very animated on-field talk involving the umpires, the respective managers and Barnstormers management, it ended with the Skeeters manager waving his team out of the dugout and into the clubhouse. At this point it was still raining and everyone assumed the game had been called, most of the fans (me included) headed for the exits. Later in the evening I was online and saw that they were actually going to try to play, the start time was posted for 9:45. As they say at the end of Part One: stay tuned. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 15-16

Wednesday night: back at the ballpark for game #3 between the Barnstormers and the Road Warriors. The Stormers followed up on the rain-shortened Monday win with a victory on Tuesday, on this night they completed the sweep with a 6-2 decision. The Warriors took a quick 2-0 lead in the first but would not score again, the Barnstormers put together back-to-back three-spots in the fourth and fifth innings. Blake Gailen walked to start the fourth and Jimmy Paredes followed with a base hit. Ryan Casteel's triple into the alley chased both men home to tie the game, K.C. Hobson's RBI single scored Casteel to give the home team the lead. The same cast of characters started the fifth in much the same way, Gailen drew a walk and singles by Paredes and Casteel loaded the bases. Hobson's RBI groundout brought Gailen home, Trayvon Robinson's two-run single plated Paredes and Casteel to put the Stormers up by four. There would be no further scoring, Brooks Hall started on the hill and went seven innings for the win with relief support from Huascar Brazobon and Matt Reynolds. On Thursday Jenny and I had our midweek lunch date a day later than usual which was by design because this day (August 16) is her birthday. Every year on this date I write in this blog about how much she means to me and every word of it is the undisputed truth. We've known each other since 1992, we came together in 2001 and there is no other woman on the planet I would rather be with. In the evening we were back at Reservoir Park for the sixth night of summer hockey. The games on this night were the second time around for Green versus Blue and Orange versus Gold, those matchups wrap up the season on Tuesday the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 13-14

Took my mother to the health campus on Monday morning, this was one of her periodic eye appointments. They gave her an injection in the right eye and scheduled a followup for Tuesday the 21st, when they were done with her we had lunch out. In the evening I was back at the ballpark, the Barnstormers hosted the Road Warriors in the opener of a three-game series. The skies were cloudy at game time with rain expected later in the evening, it arrived in the fourth inning and eventually forced a delay but not before the game became official. The Stormers broke the scoreless tie with six runs in the bottom of the third, the first eight batters all reached on singles and all figured in the scoring. Carlos Garcia and Rico Noel scored the first two runs, they were followed by one-RBI hits from Darian Sandford, Josh Bell, Blake Gailen, Jimmy Paredes, Ryan Castell and K.C. Hobson. If you were running a clinic on what they call "small-ball" this inning was the classic example. In the fourth Noel reached on a base hit and Gailen was hit by the pitch, Paredes' two-run double chased both runners home to extend the lead to 8-0. By this time the rain had arrived and the on-field mood was tense, when Gailen was hit words were exchanged and the dugouts emptied but the umpires got things settled down. The Warriors got on the board with a run in the fifth, after the third out the umpires called for the tarp and after the required wait the game was called. It may very well have been a "the game's official, let them cool off and come back tomorrow" decision but under the circumstances it was the right one, Joe Gardner started and worked all five innings for the win. On Tuesday we were at the rink for the fifth night of summer dek hockey, for the second time Green met Orange and Blue met Gold. Those matchups happen one last time on Thursday the 23rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 8-12

Wednesday morning with Jenny for our usual midweek lunch date, in the evening it was a game night at the ballpark on North Prince Street. The Road Warriors were the opponent in the middle game of a three-game series and on this night offensive highlights were in short supply. The Warriors scored single runs in the first and eighth and made them stand up for a 2-0 win, the Barnstormers had only two hits and never mounted a serious threat. Joe Gardner started and worked eight solid innings but took the tough-luck loss. On Thursday we were back at the rink for night #4 of the summer season. the matchups were repeats from the opening night. Gold met Green and Orange faced off against Blue, they meet once final time on the 21st. The weekend was very quiet save for Saturday lunch with Jenny, both the Stormers and the Revs were out of town and there was nothing else of note on the calendar. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 6-7

Monday night baseball west of the river in York, the Revolution hosting the New Britain Bees in the opener of a three-game set. With the shorter schedule in place (126 games as opposed to 140) Monday games have been rare in the Atlantic League, this was only the second of three at home for the Revs. This was just my fifth time in York in 2018 and the second time the Bees were the opponent. The Revolution roster was fortified recently with the return of Alonzo Harris and Telvin Nash, members of the Revs' 2017 championship club who had been playing in the Mexican League. New Britain went up 1-0 in the first, in the bottom half the Revs scored four times. RBI hits by Nash, Melky Mesa and Luis Cruz gave the Revs the lead, the fourth run scored on a Bees error. NB scored twice in the third, pulled even with a single run in the fourth and exploded for five in the fifth to go ahead 9-4. In the home seventh an RBI hit by Mesa and a two-run double by Nash brought the Revs back to within two, Ryan Dent's solo home run in the eighth made it a one-run game. New Britain held on for the 9-8 win, former St.Louis Cardinal property Estarlin Arias took the loss in relief for the Revolution. On Tuesday we were at the rink for night #3 of Summer Season, the matchups featured Gold versus Orange and Blue versus Green (which repeat on the 16th and 28th). For a second straight night at the rink we dodged a major weather bullet, there were storms all around the area but we managed to get the night in. We had some light rain at the outset and there was thunder and lightning in the distance to the north and west, I told Don that all things considered we were very lucky. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 4-5

Saturday morning lunch in Quarryville, in the afternoon Jenny and her mother were along for the makeup doubleheader at the ballpark. The Sugar Land Skeeters won the Freedom Division's first-half championship, thanks to the Friday rainout this was my first look at them in actual game action in 2018. Game #1 started at 5:00, the Barnstormers took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Blake Gailen solo home run onto the picnic pavilion in right field. Vladimir Frias' two-run single in the second scored recently-added ex-MLBer Jimmy Paredes and Josh Bell to extend the lead, the 3-0 advantage held until the fifth when the Skeeters picked up a single run. In the Stormer fifth Carlos Garcia singled and scored on Tyler Bortnick's RBI double, a sac fly by Gailen plated Bortnick to make it 5-1. Sugar Land scored one in the seventh but that was it as the Stormers won 5-2, Nate Reed started and went five innings for the decision. In game #2 the Barnstormers again jumped on top early when Darian Sandford singled and scored on Ryan Casteel's RBI hit, Paredes followed with a double chasing Casteel home for a 2-0 lead. The Skeeters got on the board in the third to draw within two, in the home fourth the Stormers scored three times on a Sugar Land error and a two-run home run by K.C. Hobson. Consecutive RBI hits by Hobson, Frias and Anderson De La Rosa in the fifth extended the lead to 8-1, single runs for the Skeeters in the sixth and seventh closed out the scoring. The 8-3 win gave the Stormers the doubleheader sweep, Brooks Hall went six innings for the decision. Sugar Land salvaged the Sunday finale but needless to say I was not there, as is well-known 1:00 starts in ninety-degree heat are not my thing. Take care, thanks for reading.

August 1-3

The eighth month of 2018 began on a Wednesday, for me that meant a lunch visit with Jenny. In the evening I was back at the ballpark as the midget baseball tournament continued. The semifinals were played on this night, I arrived after the first game started and left before the second was over. I was there just for the hell of it, since the Lancaster team was out of it there was no rooting interest involved. The best part of the night was a fan whose son was playing in the opener, every time that team did something positive he would yell "YEAH!!!" in a very guttural manner, he sounded for all the world like a lion roaring. One of the coaches from the second game was there early and took to imitating the guy every time the opponent came up big, it became a vocal battle that sounded like feeding time at the zoo. On Thursday we had some afternoon thunderstorms but the evening's summer dek hockey games went on as scheduled. This night featured the first of three meetings of Gold versus Blue and Orange versus Green, they meet again on the 14th and 23rd. The Barnstormers returned home on Friday for a weekend series, the Sugar Land Skeeters were the opponent. This was my first time seeing the Skeeters in 2018, they visited in May for a weeknight series I missed completely. I had planned to see them when they were in York in July but the car trouble I had that weekend ruined those plans. The plans on this night ended up being ruined as well, just before gametime a fast-moving storm hit from the south. The game was literally just minutes away from starting, the lineup cards had been exchanged and the pitchers were warmed up and ready to go. The game was called after about an hour's wait and reset for Saturday as a doubleheader. Take care, thanks for reading.