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.
