BARNSTORMERS KNOCK OUT 20 HITS, SWEEP YORK

Perfect Road Trip Ends with 6-0 Mark

The Lancaster Barnstormers pulled off a baseball rarity on Thursday evening with each of the nine starters collecting at least two hits in an 11-3 victory over the York Revolution at People’s Bank Park.

With the win, the club returns home for a nine-game stand with a 2 ½ game lead over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and at least a tie in the 2022 War of the Roses, which Lancaster now leads, 16-10, with six games remaining.

Jacob Barfield got the scoring going with a line drive single in the top of the first, but York would jump ahead of the Barnstormers briefly.  Elmer Reyes tied the game in the home first with a homer over the left field wall in the bottom of the first.  In the second, York took the lead as Connor Lien and Yefri Perez teamed up with consecutive doubles off spot starter Bret Clarke.

Austin Nicely (2-9) retired the first two batters in the third, but the Barnstormers suddenly came to life with four straight solid hits.  Barfield lined a single into right, and Trayvon Robinson followed him with a base hit into right center.  Ariel Sandoval tied the game at 2-2 with a double stroked into the left field corner.  Anderson Feliz found the gap in deep left center for a two-run double and a 4-2 edge.

A balk allowed Shawon Dunston, Jr. to cross the plate in the fourth, but, it was in the fifth inning that Lancaster put the game away.  Robinson singled to left, and Sandoval reached on a base hit off Nicely’s glove.  Feliz banged his second double to right center for a 6-2 lead, and Anthony Peroni got two more home with a single into right center.  Dunston chased Nicely with the fifth hit of the inning.  Melvin Mercedes singled into left to load the bases.  Andretty Cordero produced two more with a single up the middle.  Cordero and Mercedes moved ahead when the return throw to the infield deflected off Telvin Nash’s glove, and Barfield got the final Lancaster run home on a grounder to third.

Gray Fenter (1-0) took over for Clarke in the fifth inning and threw the next four.  He allowed two hits, a home run by Troy Stokes, Jr. and an ensuing double by Jhon Nunez.  Fenter walked one and struck out four in notching the win.

Lancaster will open a three-game series against Staten Island on Friday.  The Barnstormers will send Erik Manoah (3-1) to the mound against Hector Guance (2-5).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel at 6:25.

NOTES:  Lancaster struck out 12 more batters on Thursday and 36 for the series…It was the 37^th time this season the staff has struck out 10 or more…Lancaster reached 20 hits for the second time this season…Dunston stole his 25^th base…Mercedes and Peroni had three-hit nights.