We'll get the Big News out first: on Friday night at the ballpark the Barnstormers won the Atlantic League Championship defeating High Point 6-1 to finish a three-game-straight sweep. It's the third title in the club's eighteen-year history with all coming in eight-year intervals, the prior two were in 2006 and 2014. The Stormers scored three times in the first inning and were never headed, Trayvon Robinson led the way with a solo home run and an RBI double, Jacob Barfield and Trace Loehr contributed run-scoring singles, Melvin Mercedes picked up an RBI on a groundout and another run scored on an error. I had planned to go over to the ballpark after the football game but I never made it, the ballgame started just after 6:30 and ended shortly before 9:00. Series MVP Oscar De La Cruz started for the Stormers and was clearly in no mood to fool around, he went all the way for the club's only complete game in 2022. He allowed just four hits with eight strikeouts, no walks and at one point he retired nineteen consecutive batters. Needless to say I'm disappointed that I had to miss it but anybody who saw me at the ballpark during the season knows that I was there in spirit. The Physical Me was back at an old stomping ground on Friday night, I was at Crusader Stadium in the neighborhood of Rossmere for the first time since November of 2017. I had a long association with Lancaster Catholic football at one time, when it ended I left the door open for them to reach out if they ever needed me. This night was LCHS' Senior Night, we spotlighted the twelve players and their parents in the pregame. The game itself was a battle of unbeatens, Hamburg (from northern Berks County) entered at 5-0 as did the Crusaders and it was a classic. The score was tied 35-35 with just over a minute left, a Crusader field goal gave the home team a three-point lead. On the next possession a Hamburg pass reception carried deep into Crusader territory, on the tackle the defending player forced a fumble which he recovered to clinch the victory for LCHS 38-35. There were a few familiar faces around who recognized me, one said hearing my voice on the PA "brought back memories". I have to admit I enjoyed being back, it's a good place with good people which is about all you can ask for. The game started at 7:00 and ended about 9:45, just for the hell of it I drove over by the ballpark. The game had been over for close to an hour by this time, there were a few people milling around outside but the crowd was long gone. It's just as well the Stormers finished it on Friday because the remnants of that storm system finally arrived. Saturday was damp and misty, an all-day Sunday rain forced postponement of hockey in Rothsville for the second straight week and the third out of the last four. Take care, thanks for reading.
