The final one-third of 2024 began on a typically slow Sunday, that will change when the autumn hockey season starts at Lions Park in Rothsville on the 8th. Monday was Labor Day itself aka The Last Day Of Summer, on Tuesday the Stormers returned home for a series with the Long Island Ducks, This was actually the back end of a seven-game home-and-home, the clubs met for four games on the Island over the weekend. On this night the competitive aspect was decided almost from the word Go, the Stormers took a 1-0 lead on Gaige Howard's first-inning home run and extended it to 3-0 in the second on a Trace Loehr two-run double. Isan Diaz started the third with a solo home run, in the fourth the Stormers blew the game apart with a six-run salvo. RBI hit by Loehr and Damon Dues made it 6-0, after Howard's fielders choice groundout and Diaz's RBI triple Mason Martin launched a moonshot over the picnic tents in right field putting the Stormers up 10-0. Chris Proctor's two-run bomb in the fifth made it an even dozen, one final run scored in the sixth on a Joe Stewart RBI single. For their part the Ducks didn't go quietly, two runs in the sixth were followed by four in the seventh and one in the eighth but the mountain was too high to climb. The final football-like score was 13-7, Brady Tedesco worked into the seventh for the win with relief from Kyle Johnson, Scott Engler and newcomer Michael McAvene. Take care, thanks for reading.
