BARNSTORMERS INCH CLOSER TO FINALS

Lancaster Drops Long Island, 5-1

The Lancaster Barnstormers benefitted from forced and unforced mistakes by the Long Island Ducks on Wednesday evening in a 5-1 victory at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

With the win, the Barnstormers take a two games to none lead over the Ducks in the best-of-five North Division Series.  The venue shifts to Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip for the remainder of the set.

The Barnstormers scored their first run without any defensive misplay as Melvin Mercedes led off the game with a double, took third on a Yeison Coca bunt and scored when Andretty Cordero grounded a single up the middle for the 1-0 edge.

From there, Lancaster took advantage of two bad throws and a bobble.  With one out in the second, Trayvon Robinson picked up a walk from Kyle Lobstein (0-1).  Shawon Dunston, Jr. grounded a single to the hole on right side which was slowed down by the tip of second baseman Brantley Bell’s glove.  Robinson sprinted for third, drawing a throw from Bell that skipped into the dugout.  Robinson galloped home with the second Lancaster run.

In the fourth, Wilson Garcia led off with a single to left center and left for designated runner Chris Proctor.  Ariel Sandoval followed with a walk.  The duo executed a double steal, and Proctor scored when Hector Sanchez’ throw went past third baseman Joe DeCarlo, who was charging for a bunt.  Two outs later, Sandoval scored when Bell failed to handle a ground ball off Jack Conley’s bat.

Lancaster’s final run needed no misplay, coming on a towering home run to right by Garcia leading off the eighth inning.

Matt Swarmer (1-0) threw five innings for the Barnstormers, giving up the Ducks only run.  He allowed seven hits and one walk, picking up only one strikeout.  Long Island only scored in the fifth on a Joe DeCarlo single to center, a double off the wall in right by Boog Powell and Alex Dickerson’s sacrifice fly to left.

Lancaster used five pitchers to cover the final four innings.  Brian Marconi and Garrett Granitz split the sixth.  Mike Adams allowed a pair of walks in the seventh before retiring Dickerson on a pop up and getting Sam Travis to ground into a force.  Ofreidy Gomez tossed a scoreless eighth, and Nick Duron wrapped up the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning.

Brady Tedesco (1-1) will make the third game start on Friday against left-hander Ian Clarkin (3-5).  Fans may follow the game on FloBaseball, beginning at 6:30.

NOTES:  Gastonia defeated High Point, 5-2, on Wednesday night, to tie the South series at one game apiece…If the Barnstormers win one game at Long Island, they will host the winner of that series at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Tuesday evening…Garcia has five RBI in the series; Cordero has three…Mercedes has scored four…The Barnstormers have won the first two games of a playoff series for the sixth time in franchise history.