BARNSTORMERS ROUT YORK, STAY IN LEAD

Mercedes, Carpenter Homer in Win

Melvin Mercedes and Joseph Carpenter homered to pace a 17-hit attack as the Lancaster Barnstormers routed the York Revolution, 14-4, in the opener of a three-game series at WellSpan Park.

With the win, the Barnstormers remained one game ahead of the Staten Island FerryHawks in the North Division.  York fell 4 ½ games behind in fourth place.

Mercedes opened the game with a homer off Pedro Vasquez (7-2), his seventh of the year, down the right field line, and the Barnstormers were never caught. 

In the third, Mercedes led off with a single to center.  He took off for second, drawing shortstop Trent Giambrone over to cover the bag, and Yeison Coca placed a perfect hit-and-run single through the vacated spot.  Andretty Cordero doubled into the right field corner to score Mercedes.  Coca came home on a wild pitch, and Cordero came across on a grounder to short by Ariel Sandoval.

York picked up one run off Nile Ball (7-6) in the bottom of the fourth as Drew Mendoza doubled and Trey Martin singled.  The duo pulled off a double steal to sneak the run home.

Lancaster appeared to put the game away with five in the fifth.  Mercedes doubled to left and scored on a single to center by Cordero.  Sandoval and Wilson Garcia also singled, and Carpenter belted a three-run homer over the “Arch Nemesis” for a 9-1 edge.

The first five York batters reached in the bottom of the fifth on four singles and a walk off Ball, but he got three straight outs to protect the 9-4 lead.  Lancaster iced the game with five in the seventh on four doubles, a single and an error.

The Barnstormers will send Jeff Bain (4-2) to the hill on Wednesday evening against right-hander Andrew Cabezas (1-3).  Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball, starting at 6:25.

NOTES:  Everyone in the lineup had a hit for the Barnstormers…Carpenter has four homers on the road trip for a team-leading total of 15…Mercedes reached base for the 22^nd straight game…Cordero collected his 35^th double, his 136^th and 137^th hits and his 91^st and 92^nd RBI…All lead the league…The league’s top three hitters are all in this series…Sandoval is now one point ahead of York first baseman Drew Mendoza with Cordero another four points behind…Ball’s win was his 21^st as a Barnstormer…The end of the game was marred by a bench clearing incident as Shawon Dunston, Jr. was hit by a pitch from Zach Neff off the helmet…There was shoving in the middle of the eighth.