July 5-6

Not much happening on Monday outside of the morning errand run, on Tuesday we had our lunch date in Quarryville a day early. Jenny was coming into town for another babysitting session at her friend's house, she rode in with me in the afternoon. In the evening the Barnstormers returned home from a weekend road trip for the start of a fifteen-game homestand. Thus far the club has played thirty-five games with twenty-three of them on the road, this run at home will (weather-permitting) bring the schedule to a more balanced 27-23 split by the time it ends on the 22nd. On this night the brand-new Lexington Legends visited from the Bluegrass State for the opener of a three-game series. Lexington joined the Atlantic League under the same circumstances as the West Virginia Power, both are former affiliated franchises eliminated as part of minor league baseball's Big Reorganization. The Legends began in 2001 as an affiliate of the Houston Astros, they were more recently associated with the Kansas City Royals. It's interesting to note that the ALPB's North Division consists of the league's four oldest franchises, the South features the four newest (although geography plays a part in it as well). The Kentuckians scored a single run in the top of the first, Caleb Gindl's solo home run in the bottom half evened it at 1-1. The Legends took a 3-1 advantage in the fourth, in the home fifth the Stormers put four on the board. Anderson De La Rosa doubled and scored on an error, Devon Torrence singled and former Atlanta Braves property Nick Shumpert walked. Blake Allemand was hit by the pitch to load the bases, Blake Gailen followed with a two-run single to give the Stormers a 4-3 lead. Trayvon Robinson's RBI hit scoring Allemand extended the lead to two, in the sixth Lexington drew to within 5-4. It stayed right there until the bottom of the eighth when the Stormers seemingly blew the game open. Robinson started it with a walk, singles from Alejandro De Aza and Torrence made it 6-4. Shumpert walked and Cleuluis Rondon followed with a two-run single scoring De Aza and Torrence. LeDarious Clark's base hit loaded the bases, Allemand drew a walk forcing Shumpert home with run #9. Gailen put the capper on an eight-run salvo with a grand-slam over the picnic canopy in right field making it 13-4. The Legends did not go quietly in the ninth, they put a five-spot on the board before Donald Goodson (Northeastern Junior College product) finished it for winning pitcher Cody Boydstun. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.