Tuesday night at the ballpark as the Barnstormers began the final series of the homestand hosting the Atlantic League's newest franchise. When Staten Island joined as the league's ninth team it created the need for an extra club to fill out the schedule. In past years the Road Warriors (last seen in 2018) were utilized for that purpose but this time around the management in Lexington offered the league the opportunity to station the extra club there as a home team when the Legends are on the road. The new team is officially known as the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes, on the league website they are abbreviated as WHG. Wild Health is a medical concern in Lexington serving as the team's corporate sponsor, the nickname is inspired by a medical term having to do with genetics (you must admit it's very unique). On this night the Stormers broke the ice in the third, Trace Loehr reached on a single and Jake Hoover was hit by the pitch. Melvin Mercedes reached on an error allowing Loehr to score, Kelly Dugan's two-run double chased home Hoover and Mercedes to make it 3-0. The Genomes put four on the board in the fourth, in the bottom half Colton Shaver doubled and scored on Trayvon Robinson's RBI hit to tie it at 4-4. In the Stormer fifth two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases, LeDarious Clark's grand slam over the picnic tents in right field gave the Home Team an 8-4 advantage. In the seventh the Stormers added an insurance run, Clark reached on a strikeout-passed ball and scored on a wild pitch. The final tally was 9-4, Erik Manoah was the winning pitcher in relief of starter Augie Sylk. The series continues on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, I should be absent from both because of midget baseball on Wednesday and my well-known absence from day games on Thursday (a friend at the ballpark once called me a vampire because I only come out at night). After Thursday the Stormers hit the road for two weeks, they return home on the first day of July. Take care, thanks for reading.
