A PERFECT TEN!

Win Streak Extended with Doubleheader Sweep

The Lancaster Stormers are on the verge of history.

Jack Labosky fired six shutout innings, and Nick Lucky drove home three runs as the Stormers routed the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, 11-0, to complete a doubleheader sweep on Thursday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Earlier in the day, Chad Sedio belted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, and the Stormers withstood a late Hagerstown charge for a 7-4 win in the opener.

The sweep extended Lancaster’s current winning streak to ten, two wins shy of the longest in franchise history, established in May of 2018.

Labosky (2-1) yielded exactly one hit in each of his six innings.  He walked two and struck out four. The right-hander was aided by ground ball double plays in three consecutive innings.  Labosky faced his biggest threat in the fifth when he walked Blake Berry with one out, and Tyler Hill banged a double off the gate in right center.  Ozzie Abreu popped to second, and Cito Culver grounded to first to get Labosky out of peril.

Newcomer Phil Diehl worked a perfect seventh with two strikeouts to complete the staff’s first shutout of the season.

Justin Farmer staked the Stormers to a 2-0 lead with a two-run single to left in the top of the second off Mike Kickham (3-3).  Sedio followed with a single to right, and both runners scored on a double past first baseman Curtis Terry by Lucky.  Lancaster remained quiet until a five-run fifth built on four hits, three walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches. 

Cristian Santana opened the sixth with his fifth homer in five games, a towering blast over the right field tents.

Sedio’s homer to right center field off Marvin Gorgas (1-2) staked Max Green (2-3) and the Stormers to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth in the opener.  Trace Loehr doubled home a run and scored on a single by Santana in the fifth, to boost the lead to 5-1.  Jack Conley drilled a two-run double inside the third base bag in the seventh.

The opener was not without its share of late inning drama.  Green gave up two hits and a long sacrifice fly by Joe Campagna to open the sixth and needed Stephen Nogosek to end the inning with a strikeout of Jaylyn Williams, who was the tying run at the plate.  Nogosek ran into trouble of his own in the seventh and gave up a two-run single to Campagna, allowing Terry to come to the plate as the tying run.  After a long battle, Terry struck out as Nogosek earned his first save.

Lancaster will open a three-game series at Charleston on Friday evening with right-hander Nile Ball (4-1) on the hill.  Fans may view the game on FloBaseball, beginning at 6:35.

NOTES:  Labosky’s ERA dropped to 2.68, moving him into the top five in the league…The quality start was his fourth…Joseph Carpenter hit safely in each end of the doubleheader to stretch his streak to 13 games, the longest on the club this season…Santana closed the homestand 12-for-24 (.500) with five homers and 18 RBI…He leads the league with a .406 average and 39 RBI.