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.
