July 27-31

Back at the ballpark on Wednesday night for game #2 with Southern Maryland. On this night the Barnstormers tallied in the opening inning, Shawon Dunston drew a walk and touched home on Andretty Cordero's RBI hit. The visiting Blue Crabs pinched back with a tying run in the second, they took the lead in the fourth and added two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to lead 5-1. The Stormers climbed back into it with a run in the seventh, Jacob Barfield doubled and scored on Ariel Sandoval's base hit. In the eighth Melvin Mercedes doubled and came home on a Cordero RBI groundout but an SM insurance run in the ninth ended the scoring as the Crabs took it 6-3. Cameron Gann started for the Barnstormers and took the loss. During the first half of the season the Blue Crabs were a juggernaut, they won the first-half division title with a mark of 48-18 and thus far in 2022 they had defeated the Stormers eleven consecutive games. On Thursday night they were finally halted but it took intervention from Mother Nature to do it. There was a quick-moving storm system approaching from the west, despite the forecast and the dark clouds the game started right on time at 6:30. After the Crabs scored three times in the first inning the umpires called time and had the field covered although the rain had not yet started. It proved to be the right call, the tarp was no sooner down and secured before the winds kicked up and the skies opened. After about thirty minutes of absolute deluge the field was rendered unplayable, the game was called and reset as part of a doubleheader on September 17. The Stormers started a weeklong road trip on Friday, Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother was about all that happened all weekend. In August the ballclub has only twelve home dates compared to the just-completed twenty-home-date July marathon. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 25-26

Woke up Monday morning exceptionally sore from the weekend, almost twenty-one hours of sitting on wooden bleachers over two days will do that to you. At the ballpark in the evening for the championship game of the County Midget League tournament. The JrT finished 7-9 (with one game canceled) and qualified as the #6 seed, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals in the afternoon heat on Saturday. The semifinals were on Sunday afternoon with Lititz and Penn Manor advancing to the championship game, in the title game on Monday Lititz rallied back from down 0-2 in the sixth to win 3-2. On Tuesday the Barnstormers were back in town for the opener of a three-game set with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Over the weekend the Stormers added five new players to the roster including one who made a huge impression on this night in his first game with the club. The visiting Crabs took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the third, Trace Loehr singled and scored on a sac fly by Andretty Cordero putting the Stormers on the board at 4-1. A four-run Crab fifth expanded the Stormers' deficit to 8-1, a solo home run by Melvin Mercedes in the bottom half made it 8-2. In the sixth base hits by newcomers Jacob Barfield and Ariel Sandoval set the table for consecutive RBI markers by Anthony Peroni and Loehr pulling the Stormers to within 8-4. In the seventh Trayvon Robinson singled and came home on Barfield's two-run home run onto the picnic deck making it 8-6. In the eighth Shawon Dunston reached on a bunt single with two out, Mercedes followed with his second round-tripper of the night tying the game 8-8. It all crashed in the ninth when Maryland scored to go up 9-8. in the bottom half the Stormers were retired in order but not before Barfield hit a drive that was caught at the base of the wall in dead-centerfield (Jacob is the nephew of former MLB power hitter Jesse Barfield, he was added from the Pioneer League where he had twenty-one home runs so there is definitely some pop in his bat). Nile Ball started and went five innings, newcomer Gray Fenter pitched two scoreless in relief with Dominic DeSabatino (back from a stint on the DL) working the last two and taking the late loss. The series continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 23-24

From 1974 to 1977 I cut my teeth on the PA for the local rec softball league at Bing Conlin Field in Lancaster. Every holiday weekend (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day) plus a few others featured tournaments with some of the best teams along the Eastern Seaboard. A typical weekend had me there on Friday from 7:00 to about midnight, Saturday from 9:00 until past midnight and Sunday from noon until well into the evening hours (and if Monday was included that was usually from 11:00 into the evening itself). It was an endurance test no matter how you looked at it. These days a league based in the southern end of the county plays its games at Garrett Park in Willow Street, about six miles south of the city proper. Back during the winter I was contacted by a Conlin Field alum who is still active with the league at Willow Street, they were hosting the Pennsylvania State Class C Championships on this weekend and he asked if I'd be available to work the PA. Past experience had me knowing exactly what I was getting myself into and it did not disappoint. There are two fields at Garrett Park, on Saturday there were seven games played on each field involving all eleven teams entered. The first games began at 8:00 in the morning, the last game ended twelve hours and thirty-five minutes later. On Sunday we started at 9:00 with two games on each field, in the afternoon the losers-bracket final and the championship game were played on the main field where the PA setup was located. They had a canopy set up over the PA/scoreboard table which helped somewhat with keeping me protected from direct sunlight but it was still scorching HOT, temperatures both days were well into the 90s. There were a number of people from The Old Days in attendance, many were surprised to see me there and everyone seemed to appreciate my presence. Two local teams met in the championship, Kelly's (from the hosting league) defeated the Rays (from a league based around the Ephrata area). With it all we were done around 4:45 on Sunday, I came home and immediately turned on the air-conditioning (I actually slept with it on overnight into Sunday which is something I generally don't do but after twelve-plus hours in the heat I figured I deserved it). The entire weekend was a definite throwback for me, doing tournaments like that was commonplace when I was much younger but "When I Was Much Younger" is the operative phrase involved. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 20-22

Wednesday night: back at the ballpark for game #2 (or game #5 depending on how you look at it) with Charleston, at first pitch it was 91 degrees. The Barnstormers surrendered a run in the first inning but got it back in the second, Trayvon Robinson singled and scored the tying run on a Charleston fielding error. Anderson Feliz's two-run home run in the third gave the Stormers a two-run lead, in the fourth Melvin Mercedes went yard with two men on extending the advantage to 6-1. Over the next three innings Charleston (being the Dirty Birds they are) rallied back to take a 7-6 lead, in the home seventh Robinson's solo home run onto the berm in left field tied the game at 7-7. In the ninth the Birds scored three two-out runs to win it 10-7, Cole Aker (the last of four relievers used in relief of starter Nile Ball) took the decision. The series and the homestand ended on Thursday night, for the Stormers it was the last of fourteen consecutive home games since July 6. Game-time temperature on this night was 92 degrees and the visitors from West Virginia put the heat on the Stormers from the outset. A three-run first inning gave Charleston a lead they would never give up on the way to a 9-5 win. The Stormers got on the board in the fourth on a Mercedes solo home run, four more scored in the seventh on Trace Loehr's RBI single and Andretty Cordero's three-run shot over the picnic deck in right field. Augie Sylk started and took the tough-luck loss, he faced only four batters before leaving due to injury in the first inning. The club hits the road for a quick weekend series, they're back home to host Southern Maryland on Tuesday the 26th. On Friday morning Jenny was in town, she had been at her friend's house overnight babysitting. I took her home and we had Saturday lunch a day early, from there I spent the rest of the day at home in the comfort of the AC. This was all by design because the rest of the weekend is going to be very busy (and very HOT as well). Take care, thanks for reading.

July 18-19

Overnight into Monday I was awakened by the sound of a heavy rainstorm, by the time I was up for the day it was long gone and we had brilliant sunshine. The service center called before 10:30 to say my car was ready, I called the ride-for-hire and they arrived within ten minutes (take that, Unreliable Cab Company). A lunchtime errand run was all that happened the rest of the day but Tuesday was just a touch busier. Jenny was in town for a therapy appointment, I picked her up when she was done and we did lunch at her place. She's been having trouble with her knees for some time, they're getting her into aquatic therapy on a weekly basis. In the evening I was at the ballpark, the Barnstormers and the Charleston Dirty Birds reconvened for the second half of their six-game series. The Stormers took two of three over the weekend, on this night they made it 3-for-4 but it wasn't easy. In the home third Devon Torrence walked and Shawon Dunston singled him to third, Andretty Cordero's RBI hit scored Torrence to make it 1-0. Trayvon Robinson followed up with a three-run homer onto the berm in left field increasing the lead to four. Charleston made it close with a three-run seventh, in the eighth the Birds came all the way back to tie it 4-4. In the bottom of the inning the Stormers loaded the bases with two out on a Cordero single, a double by Robinson and a walk to Anderson Feliz. Anthony Peroni hit a chopper towards third base, the throw to first was high and wide. Cordero scored the lead run with Robinson right behind him giving the Stormers a 6-4 lead. In the ninth West Tunnell struck out the side to earn the win, he also recorded the last out in the eighth and was pitcher of record. Oscar De La Cruz had started, he pitched six innings of four-hit shutout ball but wasn't around for the decision. Game-time temperature was ninety degrees (that's 9-0), the heat wave is expected to hang around through the weekend at least. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 16-17

Saturday morning lunch with Jenny and her mother, there were thunderstorms forecast and they decided to be on the safe side and stay home from the ballgame. I told them I agreed with their decision since they don't live around town (if it's rained out I only have one mile to get home, they would have fourteen) and as it happened they were 100% right. There was a strong storm around 4:00 or so, at 5:30 I went over to the ballpark where the game against Charleston was still on. It finally got underway at 6:55 and those in attendance got to see what I call an "Atlantic League Special". In the home second new addition Tyler Hill (former York Revs catcher filling the departed Colton Shaver's roster spot) singled ahead of consecutive walks to Trace Loehr and Devon Torrence, Shawon Dunston's sac fly scored Hill with the night's first run. The visiting "Dirty Birds" (quotation marks intended) tied it in the fourth before the Stormers took the lead back in the bottom half. Walks to Loehr and Torrence and a two-run triple by Dunston made it 3-1, Shawon would score on a passed ball putting the Stormers up by three. In the home fifth four more runs crossed the plate, singles by Hill and Anthony Peroni and a walk to Loehr loaded the bases. Hill raced home on another passed ball, Torrence walked to reload the bases and Dunston followed with a single scoring Peroni making it 6-1. Consecutive sac flies from Melvin Mercedes and Andretty Cordero added the last two runs, after five innings the Stormers led 8-1. At this point we officially entered Bizarro-Land, the rains returned and brought a deluge of scoring along with it. Charleston tallied six times in the top of the sixth to close to within one run, in the bottom half the Stormers saw those six runs and raised it two more. Singles by Hill and Peroni and a walk to Loehr loaded the bases with one out (sound familiar?), Hill scored on a wild pitch and Torrence walked to reload the bases (this is NOT a recording). Dunston singled to score Peroni, Merecedes followed with a double chasing home Loehr and Torrence making it 12-7. After Cordero was retired Dunston trotted home on another wild pitch, Trayvon Robinson's base hit scored Mercedes with the inning's sixth run. Anderson Feliz singled and Hill was hit by the pitch to load the bases (again), consecutive walks to Peroni and Loehr forced home two more making it 16-7. For the inning the teams combined for fourteen runs on ten hits, six walks, an error, a hit batsman and a wild pitch. The madness came to a sudden end in the top of the seventh, after one batter the umpires called play and had the field covered, the game was officially called after the required thirty-minute wait. Cameron Gann started and worked into the sixth inning for the win with relief from Cole Aker and Chase Johnson. The rain moved on overnight into Sunday, in the evening I took my car to the service center for that water pump installation they had recommended in June. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 15

Friday night with the start of a new series at the ballpark. Charleston, West Virginia came into the Atlantic League in 2021, the city's former affiliated franchise was one of those eliminated when the minor leagues were reorganized before the '21 season. The new team used the old club's identity for its first year in the league but elected to rebrand late in the year as the Charleston "Dirty Birds", a reference to the area's mining history and the use of canaries to detect dangerous fumes underground (oh well, I guess it's OK for them). This was the first game of what is actually a six-game series, Charleston's two scheduled three-game visits to Lancaster are back-to-back separated only by an off-day on Monday. Before the game it was announced that Brooks Hall had been signed by the New York Mets organization, he's the fourth Barnstormer to go back into affiliated ball this season and the second in the past week. Entering this series the Barnstormers were 12-2 in the month of July, that record included an undefeated 11-0 mark at home. Sooner or later it had to happen and perhaps this night was as good as any. The visiting Birds soared out (weak pun intended) to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, the Stormers got one back in the bottom half when Shawon Dunston walked and scored on Andretty Cordero's sacrifice fly. In the second Anthony Peroni doubled and Trace Loehr singled him to third, both would score on consecutive wild pitches tying the game at 3-3. The Barnstormers took the lead in the fourth on doubles by Loehr (run scored) and Dunston (RBI) but Charleston replied with one in the fifth to make it 4-4. Over the last three innings the visitors scored four runs unanswered and won it 8-4, Chase Johnson was pitcher of record in relief of starter Augie Sylk. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 14

Back at the ballpark on Thursday night for the final game of the series with High Point. The Barnstormers have an insanely busy home schedule in July, this was the eleventh of twenty overall and the eighth of fourteen on the current homestand. As expected there was fallout from the postgame incident on Wednesday, the league assigned a completely different umpiring crew just for this game. It's not an unprecedented move and the hope is obviously to avoid any carryover. On this night the Stormers won convincingly and not entirely without controversy. In the first Shawon Dunston walked and scored on Andretty Cordero's RBI groundout, the lead was extended to 2-0 in the third when Dunston singled and touched home on an RBI double by Melvin Mercedes. In the fourth back-to-back doubles by Jake Hoover and Trace Loehr added a third run, Anthony Peroni's RBI single scored Loehr putting the Stormers up 4-0. In the sixth the game was torn wide open, the Stormers sent eleven batters to the plate and scored six runs. Loehr started it with a single, Peroni drew a walk and Devon Torrence reached on a fielders choice. Loehr scored from third on a wild pitch, after Dunston was retired consecutive walks to Mercedes and Cordero loaded the bases with two out. Trayvon Robinson was next and he made no mistake with a grand-slam home run to right-center, Anderson Feliz followed with a solo shot to just about the same spot putting the Stormers up 10-0. Hoover batted next and took the first pitch in the upper left arm, warnings were immediately issued to both dugouts by the plate umpire. In the seventh the visitors from North Carolina got on the board making it 10-1. The Stormers got it back after the stretch, Dunston reached on a fielders choice and scored on Cordero's RBI hit. The Rockers scored one last run in the eighth, during the inning an unintentional hit batsman resulted in an ejection since warnings had been issued but nothing transpired any further. The final score was 11-2, Nile Ball went six innings for the win with Erik Cha, Cole Aker and Bret Clarke working in relief. The long homestand continues on the weekend with a visit from the Charleston Dirty Birds (formerly the West Virginia Power). Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 13

Had our usual midweek lunch date in Quarryville, in the evening we were at McCaskey for the makeup game from the night before. I had originally planned on Tuesday at the ballFIELD and Wednesday at the ballPARK but the weather obviously had other ideas. No issues at all on this night, at 6:00 game time it was 87 degrees with only a slight breeze coming in from right field. Solanco was the opponent (ironically from Quarryville) and on this night the visitors carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases with nobody out and it looked like a dramatic repeat of Monday's heroics in Manheim might be in the offing. Unfortunately it was not to be, the next batter grounded into a double play (with the lead runner scoring from third making it 2-1) and the man after him lined softly back to the pitcher to end the game. Elias Morales was the pitcher of record, he worked the first four innings with Andrew Carlisle finishing it out. As it stands right now the club has one home game still outstanding which will probably not be played. If this was in fact the last home game the club will finish 3-5 in the eight played, right now the boys are 3-4 on the road with one game left. For a second consecutive summer circumstances allowed me to be available to work with the Midget League and it's a pleasure to be able to give the kids a somewhat professional atmosphere and make them feel like they are important (because they are). Later in the evening at the ballpark the Barnstormers beat High Point in game #2 of the series, I saw the end of it on the internet and to say it was controversial would be putting it mildly. The Stormers walked it off in the tenth on a close call at first base, the Rockers protested vehemently and followed the umpires to continue the argument as they left the field of play. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see some major fines and suspensions levied after the league does its investigation, on-field disagreements have been a part of baseball since the sport began but from what the videos showed THIS was something you simply don't see every day. The series finale on Thursday should be exceptionally interesting. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 12

Thunderstorms were in the forecast for Tuesday afternoon, they arrived around 3:45 or so. By 4:30 I got word that the ballgame at McCaskey was postponed until Wednesday. At the ballpark on North Prince Street the Barnstormers had the tarpaulin rolled out and the infield protected with an announcement that the game there was still on as scheduled for 6:30. By game time the rain was long gone, first pitch was reasonably on time at 6:36. The High Point Rockers were in town for their lone regular-season series visit, they have been in the league since 2019 and are already the league's fifth-oldest franchise (it speaks to how much the league has changed over the last few years). Before the game it was announced that Colton Shaver had been signed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization, he's the third Barnstormer to return to affiliated baseball in 2022. High Point jumped out to a 2-0 lead which the Stormers matched in the bottom of the first. Consecutives singles by Shawon Dunston, Melvin Merecedes and Kelly Dugan got the Stormers on the board, Andretty Cordero's sac fly brought Mercedes home with the tying run. In the third the visitors from Noth Carolina went back ahead 4-2, the Stormers trimmed the deficit to one in the fourth on a Jake Hoover solo home run onto the picnic deck in right field. In the seventh the Barnstormers batted around and took the lead for good, it started with Dugan reaching on catcher's interference and a base hit by Cordero. Anderson Feliz's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, Trayvon Robinson followed with a two-run single giving the Stormers the lead. Consecutive walks to Hoover and Trace Loehr loaded the bases, Dunston drew another free ticket forcing home Hoover to make it 6-4. At that point tempers boiled over, a High Point coach was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. The Stormers added two more in the eighth on Robinson's two-run home run, the Rockers got them back in the ninth but could come no closer, the final score was 8-6. Erik Manoah started on the mound but wasn't around for the decision, Augie Sylk was pitcher of record with Bret Clarke, Josh Graham and Wes Tunnell also appearing. The series continues on Wednesday night but I should be absent for the JrT game if the weather cooperates. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 11

The start of the new week found the JrT in action on Monday night in Manheim, this was a game rescheduled from earlier when Manheim Central was still involved in high school playoffs. McCaskey and Central are rarely opponents during high school season, in 2021 Manheim did not play in the Midget League and a few of their players were with the JrT. I had never been to Central's ballfield before, when I arrived it surprised me that the game was actually at their junior varsity field. This was a game that proved conclusively that it's never over until the last man is out, it started as a complete dud and ended as a classic. Through six innings the JrT was down 7-0, the club had only three base hits and certainly no one could have imagined what was to happen in the top of the seventh. Jhanel Perez was the first batter, he was hit by the pitch and immediately retired trying to advance on a wild pitch. Ian Santos was hit by the pitch and Avante Webb drew a walk, Rey Ortiz followed with a double scoring Santos with the first run. Andrew Carlisle's two-run single plated Webb and Ortiz to make it 7-3, Elias Morales kept the line moving with a base hit putting runners on the corners with one out. Elliott Fluck doubled into the gap in left-center chasing home Andew and Elias, Alex Demarco followed with another two-base hit scoring Elliott making it 7-6. Janpaul Rodriguez flied out for the second out, Lars Holland was next and he was hit by the pitch putting men at first and second. Perez batted for the second time and reached on an error to load the bases, Santos walked to force Demarco home with the tying run. Webb was next, during his at-bat a wild pitch allowed Lars to hustle home putting the JrT up 8-7. Avante would be retired to end the inning but not before the club scored eight runs on two singles, three doubles, three hit batsmen, two walks, an error and two wild pitches. As incredible as it was there still remained the matter of retiring the opponent in the bottom of the inning, Morales pitched a perfect frame with two strikeouts to nail down the improbable 8-7 win. Lenny Diaz was the starting pitcher for the JrT, Santos was the winner in relief with Elias earning the save. By the time the game ended around 8:30 or so darkness was beginning to descend, since the field had no lights it was just as well. The boys are scheduled at home on Tuesday night, we'll see what they can do for an encore. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 9-10

Saturday night at the ballpark, for the second consecutive week Jenny and her mother came into town. No weather issues on this night, it couldn't have been more comfortable. It was Farm Show Night, there were various agricultural displays around the ballpark (which for the uninitiated is a big thing in our region). The Barnstormers hosted Kentucky aka Wild Health in game #2 of the weekend series, in the first inning Melvin Mercedes singled and scored on an error giving the home team a 1-0 lead. In the fourth Colton Shaver singled and rode home on Trayvon Robinson's two-run home run to right putting the Stormers up by three. The visiting Genomes (you gotta love that nickname) put a run on the board in the fifth but the Stormers got it right back on Trace Loehr's solo home run in the bottom half. On final run scored in the eighth, Andretty Cordero reached on an error and scored on an RBI single by Robinson. The final was 5-1, Brooks Hall (fresh from his performance in York on the 4th) pitched seven innings of two-hit ball for the win with Cole Aker and West Tunnell working an inning each in relief. The Stormers finished the series sweep on Sunday afternoon, I was in Rothsville for the Grand Finale of the Sunday hockey league at Lions Park. It was decided that there would be no semifinals this time around, the top two regular-season finishers played for the championship with the bottom two playing for third place. In the "bronze-medal" game Warwick beat Ephrata, in the championship Hillside defeated Township by one goal. Interesting to note that we've played three seasons in Rothsville now, each championship game was decided by a single goal and a different team has won each time (Warwick in the summer of '21. Ephrata in the fall and now Hillside). For the Hillside guys it has to feel like redemption since they lost in both of the previous two championships. A total of fifty-four players appeared in the twenty total games played, right now we're planning on the fall season starting in September. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 8

Friday night at the ballpark for the opener of a new series, the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes (Lexington's "other" Atlantic League team) were the opponent. The story of the club's unique nickname is well-known, recently I read an article where the writer referred to them as the "DNA sets". Another writer joked how in theory the Genomes could never trade for "a player to be named later". Add the fact that the club uses a GNOME as its logo and you can see where the folks in Lexington are having fun with the entire situation. On this night WHG didn't have a lot of fun on the field, the Barnstormers won easily by the eye-catching score of 18-5. The Genomes took a 2-0 lead in the first but in the bottom half Shawon Dunston singled and Melvin Mercedes walked ahead of a Kelly Dugan RBI hit and Andretty Cordero's two-run double, Cordero would score on a Trayvon Robinson groundout giving the Stormers a 4-2 lead. In the second Dunston singled and scored on Mercedes' RBI triple making it 5-2, in the visiting third WHG put up three runs to tie the game at 5-5. In the Stormer third Colton Shaver singled and scored on an error making it 6-5, in the fourth the Home Team tore the game apart with an eight-run salvo. Everyone in the lineup either scored or had an RBI, it started with Dunston aboard on a base hit, Mercedes reaching on an error and Dugan with a single to load the bases. Cordero doubled to score two runs, after Shaver was hit by the pitch Robinson singled to score Dugan making it 9-5. Anderson Feliz was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded forcing Cordero home with run #10, Jake Hoover followed with a two-run single making it 12-5. A sacrifice fly by Trace Loehr (the inning's first out made by the inning's ninth batter) plated Feliz, Dunston batted next and laced an RBI single scoring Hoover with the inning's final run and a 14-5 Stormer lead. The club added on in the seventh when Shaver singled and advanced to third on a double by Devon Torrence, RBI hits by Feliz and Loehr made it 16-5. Two more runs scored in the eighth without benefit of a hit, Dugan was hit by the pitch and walks to Cordero and Shaver loaded the bases. A walk to Torrence forced Dugan home, Feliz reached on an error scoring Cordero with the last run of the night. Nile Ball started for the Stormers and went five innings for the win with Bret Clarke, Erik Cha and Donald Goodson working in relief. The series continues on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 7

Thursday night at the ballpark as the Revs and Stormers finished up the midweek home-and-home. This series thus far had been remarkably competitive (each team had won two games by scores of 4-2 and 3-1) and more of the same was in store in the rubber match on this night. The Barnstormers broke the ice in the first inning, Melvin Mercedes walked and scored on Andretty Cordero's RBI single. In the fourth the Revs tied it, Troy Stokes singled and came home on an RBI hit by Carlos Franco.The Barnstormers regained the lead in the sixth when Jake Hoover doubled and scored on Kelly Dugan's two-base hit, in the eighth an insurance run was added on Hoover's solo home run to left. Jake is not known for the long ball but his homer was into the corner just inside the foul pole, one of the deeper parts of the ballpark. The final score was 3-1 Stormers, Oscar De La Cruz went six innings for the win with Tyler Suellentrop working two in relief and Chase Johnson closing it in the ninth for the save. Alex Sanabia started for the Revolution and went six ininngs, he was supported for an inning each by Carlos Ventura and Josh Martin. There was an unfortunate incident in the fourth inning, the umpire working home plate was injured by a foul tip that struck him full-on in the right forearm. The game was delayed for close to thirty minutes while the trainers from both teams attended to him, his arm was placed in a sling and he was taken from the field on a cart. Sometimes it's amazing worse things don't happen, the action at the plate can be hot and heavy. The Barnstormers continue at home over the weekend with a visit from the (Kentucky) Wild Health Genomes. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 6

Wednesday night on North Prince Street as The War Of The Roses continued east of the Susquehanna. The Stormers won in York on Monday, the Revs took both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday which marked the end of the season's first half. Southern Maryland (North) and Gastonia (South) were the respective first-half division winners, for the record the Revs finished third in the North at 31-35 and the Stormers two games behind at 29-37. On this night in Lancaster the Barnstormers took a 1-0 lead in the second on a Colton Shaver home run to right, another run was added in the third when Shawon Dunston singled and scored on Kelly Dugan's RBI groundout. In the sixth the Revolution got on the board, Yefri Perez drew a walk and came home on a groundball double play to make it 2-1. The Revs tied it in the seventh. Carlos Franco singled and scored on an RBI double by J.C. Encarnacion. The 2-2 tie was broken in the bottom of the eighth, Le Darious Clark and Shaver reached on back-to-back singles and both would score on a Rev throwing error giving the Stormers a 4-2 advantage. In the ninth the Revs did not go quietly, with one out and runners on second and first Encarnacion sent a deep drive to right-center. Dunston made the catch on the warning track, his return throw caught the lead runner off base for the game-ending double play. The 4-2 Stormer victory evened the midweek series 2-2 with the rubber game on Thursday, starting pitchers Jorge Martinez (York) and Erik Manoah (Lancaster) did not figure in the decision. Scott Shuman (just back from an injury absence) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned the win with West Tunnell picking up the save in the ninth. Nick Green worked the eighth inning for the Revs and took the loss. The series wraps up on Thursday and one can only imagine what may be in store, whenever these teams get together it never seems to be boring. Take care, thanks for reading.

July 4-5

Monday the 4th, the Nation's Birthday. I spent the late afternoon/early evening across the river in York, the Revs hosted the Barnstormers for a special 4:30 holiday start. This was the opening of a four-day five-game home-and-home first-half/second-half series (yeah, there's a lot going on there), the clubs come east for games on Wednesday and Thursday. The game was part of a larger celebration, a postgame symphony orchestra performance was scheduled along with fireworks at dusk but needless to say I was gone before any of that ever got started. In the game itself the Stormers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Melvin Mercedes and Andretty Cordero reached on base hits, LeDarious Clark's double plated Mercedes with Cordero later coming home on a wild pitch. In the sixth Cordero singled and scored on Colton Shaver's RBI hit making it 3-0, in the home ninth the Revs broke the shutout on J.C. Encarnacion's two-out solo home run to left-center. The Stormers won it 3-1 and the key to the victory was one simple word: pitching. Brooks Hall started and went seven innings allowing only three baserunners on two walks and one hit, at one point he retired sixteen consecutive batters. Tyler Suellentrop worked a spotless eighth and West Tunnell earned the save in the ninth despite allowing the two-out home run. Rev starter Austin Nicely worked six innings and suffered the loss. On Tuesday Jenny was in town for a medical appointment, I took her home and we had midweek lunch a day early for the second straight week. The JrT was scheduled for a road game at Conestoga Valley but mid-afternoon thunderstorms rolled through the area and forced postponement until Thursday the 7th. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 2-3

Saturday afternoon: Jenny and her mother were at my place for the first time since the last Royals Saturday night hockey game in May. They will generally come in town for the Saturday night ballgames but a lot of it depends on the weather and how either of them may happen to feel that day (Helen is in reasonably good shape but the fact is she's 84 and Jenny deals with arthritis in her leg joints). There were storms in the forecast, we had a brief shower around 3:00 or so. When the gates opened at 5:30 the sun was out but it was very cloudy to the southwest, at 6:30 gametime Damned If It Didn't. The Stormers took the field, it began to rain lightly during the anthem and by the time the soloist was finished it was coming in earnest. The field was covered and the system moved through quickly, the game finally got started forty-five minutes late at 7:15. Staten Island took a 1-0 lead in the first, in the bottom half Shawon Dunston reached on a base hit and Kelly Dugan hit a monster shot over the picnic tents in right giving the Stormers a 2-1 advantage. The FerryHawks tied it in the second but in the home half the Stormers replied with two more. Colton Shaver and Trace Loehr drew one-out walks, Jake Hoover doubled to score Shaver and Loehr came in on Melvin Mercedes' sac fly making it 4-1. In the third another two-spot was added when Andretty Cordero singled and rode home on LeDarious Clark's two-run shot to right-center. In the seventh Trayvon Robinson tripled and scored on a Mercedes sac fly giving the Barnstormers a 7-2 lead but the scrappy Hawks to their credit weren't quite done. A single run in the eighth and three in the ninth made it a 7-6 game, the Hawks had the tying run on base with two out but couldn't get he equalizer. Oscar De La Cruz went six innings for the win with Josh Graham, Erik Cha, Chase Johnson and West Tunnell (earning the save) in relief. Sunday temperatures were well into the 80s, with no hockey in Rothsville because of the holiday weekend I spent the day indoors in the AC. Take care, thanks for reading. 

July 1

For our Neighbors To The North July 1 is a national holiday in addition to being the first day of the second half of the year (although in any non-leap year July 2 is the true midpoint). In the evening we were at the ballpark for the first time since June 14, after a two-week road swing the Barnstormers were finally back for the start of a busy month at home. The club is scheduled for twenty home dates in July, only eight away (five of those are in York) and three days off. On this night the Staten Island FerryHawks were in for the opener of a three-game set. The Stormers organization is looking to expand their marketing efforts outside of the county, for this weekend the club is playing as the fictional "Lebanon Ironmasters" complete with specialty uniforms. In the first inning base hits by Melvin Mercedes (run scored) and Andretty Cordero (RBI) gave the home team a 1-0 lead. The visiting Hawks tied it in the top of the fourth but in the bottom half the Stormers exploded for five runs. LeDarious Clark singled and scored ahead of Anderson Feliz's two-run home run, base hits by Trace Loehr and Mercedes put two men on for Kelly Dugan who left the park over the picnic tents in right putting the Stormers up 6-1. In the fifth the FerryHawks put six of their own on the board to go ahead 7-6, that lead held into the bottom of the seventh. Dugan drew a one-out walk and scored the game-tying run on a double by Cordero, Andretty would come home on Clark's sac fly putting the Stormers up 8-7. In the eighth the club put it away with six insurance runs. Mercedes singled and scored on a double by Dugan, after two were out Clark went yard making it 10-7. Back-to-back doubles by Trayvon Robinson and Feliz added another run, after Loehr walked Shawon Dunston capped the uprising with a triple into the alley scoring Feliz and Loehr. 14-7 was the football-like final, Cole Aker was the winning pitcher with two innings in relief of starter Erik Manoah. Take care, thanks for reading.