Robinson Decides Game with Ninth Inning Blast
For the third time in a week, the Lancaster Barnstormers won a game on a ninth inning home run.
Trayvon Robinson took the first pitch he saw from right-hander Jose Arredondo over the right center field fence with one out in the ninth, sending the Barnstormers to a 5-4 victory over the York Revolution Saturday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
The decision evened the record for both clubs in the second half at 3-3.
Arredondo (0-1) struck out last Sunday’s hero, Garrett Weber, to open the ninth. Robinson followed with the home run to settle the game that had been tied since the seventh. It was Robinson’s fifth home run of the season and first since connecting against the Revolution on June 2.
York grabbed the early lead with a run in the first for the second consecutive night. Alonzo Harris led off the game with a scratch single to shortstop and took second on a single to left by Alexi Casilla. Isaias Tejeda flied out into the right field corner, sending Harris to third, and the run scored on a force play grounder by Michael Burgess as Garrett Weber had the bounder briefly stick in his glove.
Lancaster surged ahead in the second as Weber and Robinson opened the inning with singles. Lastings Milledge was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Clark lined a single into left center driving home two, but Milledge was cut down at third for the first out. Nothing else developed.
Rico Noel beat out an infield single, stole second and third, and rode home in front of Caleb Gindl’s ninth home run of the season as the Barnstormers grabbed a 4-1 advantage.
Lancaster managed only one hit, a Robinson infield single, over the next 5 1/3 innings as York rallied.
The Revs plated one run in the top of the fifth. Jared Mitchel greeted starter Rommie Lewis with a single to right and moved to second on a Travis Witherspoon bunt. Harris grounded out to second for the second out, but Casilla reached base for the seventh straight time in the series, singling to right center to score the run.
Two innings later, Harris rolled a ground ball under the glove of shortstop Vladimir Frias. Casilla followed with a homer to tie the game.
Anthony Carter (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth inning which ended on a double play as baseball’s new slide rule was invoked on Harris, sliding into Frias at second base after Rico Noel made a seemingly wide throw on a grounder by Casilla.
The Barnstormers and Revolution play the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday at 2:00. Lancaster will send lefty Jarret Leverett (4-4) to the mound against southpaw Logan Williamson (2-5). The game will be carried live on Blue Ridge Cable 11, beginning with the first pitch.
NOTES: Gindl has four home runs and 10 RBI in the last seven games…Prior to last Sunday, the previous Lancaster walkoff homer came off the bat of Lance Zawadzki in the completion of a suspended game on July 13, 2015…Lewis threw his sixth quality start of the season, allowed seven singles and two runs in six innings…He walked one and struck out three…Noel has seven steals in the last seven games.