Club Downs Black Sox, 5-3, in Spring Tuneup
Joseph Carpenter went 3-for-3 with a homer, drove in three runs and made a run saving play for the final out on Thursday afternoon as the Lancaster Barnstormers defeated the traveling Black Sox squad, 5-3, in their second spring training game of 2023. The contest was shortened to eight innings.
The Barnstormers are now 2-0 on the exhibition schedule.
After Lancaster fell behind, 1-0, on an unearned run off Brandyn Sittinger in the top of the second, the club answered immediately. Ariel Sandoval beat out an infield single and stole second base to start the Lancaster half of the inning. One out later, Carpenter dumped a single into right, sending Sandoval to third. The return throw from right field escaped the infielders, allowing Sandoval to score and Carpenter to advance to second. One out later, Jake Hoover gave the ‘Stormers a lead they never lost with a double to the track in center.
Sandoval opened the fourth with a double to dead center and would score on Carpenter’s second single of the afternoon. The Lancaster first baseman/outfielder then slammed a two-run homer off the metal benches in left to increase the advantage to 5-1.
Colin Miner, the Black Sox DH, crushed a two-run homer to left in the seventh before Tyler LaPorte struck out the side to end the inning. With Donald Goodson on the mound in the eighth and runners at first and second, Carpenter made a diving stop to his right on a sharp grounder by Nick McCurdy, turning it into the final out of the game, protecting the 5-3 lead.
Sittinger struck out five and walked none while allowing the one unearned run over three innings. Andrew Lee yielded two hits and two walks over two innings but kept the Black Sox off the board, striking out three. Eddy Tavarez threw a scoreless sixth before LaPorte and Goodson completed the game.
The Barnstormers head to York on Friday for a 2:00 contest against the division-rival York Revolution, then are scheduled to open the 2023 regular season on Friday, April 28 at Southern Maryland.