All summer long we've written in this blog about how bizarre the Atlantic League has been in 2021, it's often been said that you never know what you're going to see when you go to the ballpark and this particular weekend proved that axiom 100% correct. The West Virginia Power visited on Friday night for the series opener, there was rain and lightning in the area but the game started on time. Each team tallied in the first inning, the Stormers' run coming when Caleb Gindl singled and scored on Alejandro De Aza's RBI triple. In the third inning the Power had runners on first and second, two balks called on consecutive pitches allowed the lead man to score giving the visitors a 2-1 lead. In the fourth inning the rain arrived but it was never more than an annoying mist, just enough to make things wet and miserable. In the top of the sixth the stadium fire alarms were somehow activated, it was a false alarm but the sirens sounded for several minutes before they were finally silenced. West Virginia upped their lead to two in the seventh, in the bottom half Anderson De La Rosa doubled and was pinch-run for by Nick Shumpert. Jake Hoover laid down a sacrifice bunt, on the play to first Shumpert never broke stride and scored from second base bringing the Stormers back to within 3-2. The ballclub pulled even in the eighth on a solo home run by De Aza but in the ninth WV scratched out a run and won it 4-3, Scott Shuman took the loss in relief of starter Nile Ball. On Saturday we had our usual lunch in Quarryville, Jenny and Helen elected to stay home from the game since the forecast was "iffy". At the ballpark in the evening it was cloudy and breezy but no rain, after West Virginia scored twice in the first inning the Stormers got on the board in the second when Kelly Dugan singled and scored on Hoover's RBI single. In the third the Stormers put together a five-spot, the rally started with back-to-back walks to Gindl and Blake Allemand plus a De Aza hit loading the bases. Dugan and LeDarious Clark kept it going with consecutive two-run singles, Anthony Peroni's RBI double scored Clark giving the Stormers a 6-2 advantage In the fourth Cleuluis Rondon singled and advanced to third on a hit by Gindl, Allemand's sac fly RBI made it 7-2. The Power picked up a pair in the fifth to close within three but the Stormers put it away with two in the eighth. Gindl hit a high fly straight down the right-field line for a solo home run (disputed by the WV manager who was ejected), De Aza drew a walk and came home on an RBI double by Dugan bringing the final to 9-4. Starting pitcher Tommy Shirley (who has been on and off the active roster due to injury) pitched seven strong innings for the win. The homestand ended in the Sunday afternoon heat with a Barnstormers win, the ballclub hits the road until September 7. Take care, thanks for reading.
