BARNSTORMERS COMPLETE SWEEP OF DUCKS

Lancaster Heads to Finals with 7-2 Win

It’s back to the Atlantic League Championship Series for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Four Lancaster pitchers combined on a six-hitter as the Barnstormers toppled the Long Island Ducks, 7-2, to complete a three-game sweep in the North Division Series.

The win, Lancaster’s ninth straight this September and their eighth in a row in the post-season over the last two years, will match them against the South Champion.  The series will open up at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Tuesday at 6:30.

Gastonia leads High Point in the South series, two games to one.

Brady Tedesco (1-0) yielded two runs on four hits over the first five innings.  Dominic DiSabatino dominated the next two, striking out three of the six batters that he faced.  Ofreidy Gomes allowed a single to Ruben Tejada in the eighth, and Nick Duron, after allowing a pair of two-out baserunners, retired Hector Sanchez on a bouncer to first to close out the series.

The Barnstormers struck for two runs in the top of the second.  Series MVP Wilson Garcia led off with a single and ceded the base to designated runner Shawon Dunston, Jr.  Dunston stole second, took third on an infield out and scored when Trayvon Robinson hit a chopper to third which was ultimately fumbled to Joe DeCarlo.  Chris Proctor was hit by a pitch, and, with two outs, Anthony Peroni lined a single into center to score Robinson.

After the Ducks scored on a pop up that dropped on the pitcher’s mound in the bottom of the second, Lancaster struck for two more unearned runs in the third.  Andretty Cordero led off with a double and moved up on a ground out.  Ariel Sandoval slapped a grounder to second baseman Brantley Bell who made a wide throw home.  Sandoval was safe at first on the return throw by Sanchez, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a grounder by Chris Proctor.

Tejada doubled home a run with two outs in the fifth, but Tedesco, with his last pitch, coaxed a ground out from Alejandro de Aza with the tying runs in scoring position to end the threat.

Singles by Yeison Coca and Cordero with one out in the top of the ninth set the stage for the Barnstormers to pull away.  The next three batters drew walks, forcing home two runs, and Proctor capped the offense with an RBI single punched into left.

Tickets are available at lancasterbarnstormers.com for the Tuesday and Wednesday games of the Championship Series or by calling 717-509-HITS beginning at 10:00 AM on Monday.

NOTES:  Lancaster is 30-16 all-time in post-season games…The Barnstormers have won eight series against eight different teams…They had lost the Championship Series in five games to Long Island in 2012…It was the sixth playoff series sweep for the Barnstormers, their third in the first round…Garcia was 6-for-12 with five RBI in the series to earn the MVP distinction.