Bullpen Prevails in Nightcap

Lancaster Gains Split with 7-6 Victory

Over the years, the Lancaster Barnstormers have played some memorable games at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

Their final regular season game, possibly ever, in Bridgeport turned out to be a classic.

Anthony Carter retired Tony Abreu on a fly ball to right field with the tying and winning runs on base to secure a 7-6 victory over the Bluefish as the Barnstormers avoided a sweep of a three-game series.

Angelys Nina opened the ninth with a Baltimore chop base hit on the third base side, putting the tying run on base.  Carter got Angel Rosa and Ozney Guillen to hit into consecutive force plays and had Welington Dotel at 1-2.  Dotel responded with a single to right, his eighth hit of the series before Carter got Abreu for his 25^th save.

The game looked like it would be much easier for the Barnstormers, who built a 6-1 lead through 4 ½ innings.

Nate Coronado, who would go 3-for-3, singled home Lastings Milledge with the game’s first run, and Garrett Weber scored the second on a wild pitch from Manny Parra (1-1).

The Barnstormers also tied a franchise record with three triples in the game.  Milledge keyed a two-run fourth with a three-bagger to right center that scored Sean Halton.  Milledge, in turn, crossed the plate on an infield hit by Garrett Weber.

Halton led off the fifth with a triple to center and scored on a one-out sac fly by Milledge.  Lancaster would rebuild on singles by Weber and Coronado, then snuck a sixth run home on a double steal.

A triple by Beau Amaral and single by Trayvon Robinson in the sixth produced the eventual margin of victory.

Bridgeport scored twice off Brad Bergesen (9-6) in the fifth inning on singles by Jonathan Galvez, Andrew Lambo and Nina, and a sacrifice fly by Rosa.

They added two more in the sixth as Dotel singled to right, and Abreu reached on an error.  Sean Burroughs drove in his fifth run of the series with a base hit, and Galvez knocked in his eighth with a smash back off Bergesen, which the right-hander turned into the first out of the inning.

Dotel cut the lead to 7-6 with an RBI double inside the first base bag off Kaohi Downing in the seventh, but Scott Shuman fanned the side around a walk in the eighth to set Carter up for the save.

Lancaster opens a four-game series against Somerset at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Thursday evening.  The Barnstormers will send lefty Tommy Shirley (1-3) to the mound.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES:  After failing to extend hitting streaks to nine games in the afternoon game, Beau Amaral had two hits and Nate Coronado three in the nightcap…The other three-triple game for the Barnstormers also occurred in Bridgeport…The Barnstormers are 18-13 in one-run games.