BARNSTORMERS WIN THRILLER

Lancaster Walks off on Dugan Single

To pitch to him or not?

That was the question facing York manager Mark Mason with his closer, lefty Jim Fuller, set to face lefty hitting Kelly Dugan with two outs in the bottom of the tenth.

Fuller gave Dugan a pitch to hit, and the Lancaster first baseman dropped a single in front of charging center fielder Connor Lien to drive in the winning run in a 6-5, 10-inning victory on Monday evening.

The win was Lancaster’s first this season when trailing in the late innings.

York scored the courtesy runner, Lien, in the top of the inning.  J.C. Encarnacion beat out a trickler on the right side as Lien took third.  Jhon Nunez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on which Lien scored off Josh Graham (1-1).

The bottom of the inning opened with Jake Hoover at second base.  Jeff Bianchi, managing after Ross Peeples was ejected in the sixth inning, had Devon Torrence swing away, and the Lancaster left fielder grounded a single into left to send Hoover to third.  Torrence stole second without a throw before B.J. Boyd tied the game on a sacrifice fly to left.  LeDarious Clark lined to left with Torrence staying at second.  Dugan then delivered the winning single off Fuller (0-3).

Clark gave the Barnstormers a 2-0 lead with an opposite field home run in the bottom of the third.  York quickly rallied against Augie Sylk in the fourth, loading the bases on two walks and an HBP.  Jack Kenley singled home one run, and a second scored on a bases loaded walk to Josue Herrera.  Sylk fanned Troy Stokes’ Jr, then, with two outs, Colton Shaver, playing third for the first time in 2022, made a diving stop on a smash by Elmer Reyes to maintain the tie.

Sylk was ejected for throwing a pitch behind Jhon Nunez with one out in the sixth, and, by rule, Peeples went with him.  The Revolution took the lead off reliever Chase Johnson on a pair of infield singles and a two base wild pitch.

Shaver followed singles by Clark and Dugan with a double down the left field line to tie the game in the home half of the sixth.  Lancaster, however, could not take advantage of the opportunity to move into the lead, and York went ahead again in the seventh.

Elmer Reyes led off the seventh with a soft, one-hop single off the glove of second baseman Andretty Cordero.  Carlos Franco moved him to second on a single up the middle.  Johnson fanned the next two, then got a bounder off Encarnacion’s bat which eluded Shaver for an error and a 4-3 lead.

Lancaster tied the score in the bottom of the eighth on a Dugan single, two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly by Shaver.

The Barnstormers head to Staten Island on Tuesday for the first ever series against the Ferryhawks.  Dominic DiSabatino (2-2) will make his first start since May 15 for the Barnstormers.  Staten Island is expected to sign a starter in time for the game.  Fans may tune into the 6:30 game on the Barnstormers YouTube channel.

NOTES:  Dugan had his first four-hit game of the season…It was Lancaster’s first walkoff…The club is 1-2 in extra inning games…Dugan has 22 RBI against the Revs…Boyd has hit safely in 10 of 11…Sylk has a 2.19 ERA in May (6 ER/24.2 IP)…The Barnstormers have hit 17 York batters in the 13 games of the season series…Lancaster leads the War of the Roses, 8-5.