CORDERO PACES BARNSTORMERS TO 9-3 WIN

Lancaster Takes Series Opener from Long Island

Andretty Cordero went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Tuesday evening to lead the Lancaster Barnstormers to a 9-3 win over the Long Island Ducks in the opener of a three-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

With the win, Lancaster remained 2 ½ games ahead of Southern Maryland in the North race and also gained a game on the three closest competitors in the wild card standings.

Melvin Mercedes drove a two-run homer onto the right field deck off Ryan Meisinger (3-3) in the bottom of the third for a 2-1 Lancaster lead.  One out later, Cordero singled into left for the second time in the game.  Colton Shaver and Ariel Sandoval picked up walks to load the bases, and the Barnstormers scored two more when second baseman Tzu-Wei Lin made a wild throw on a double play relay on a Jacob Barfield grounder.

Lancaster would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Jake Hoover led off with a single to center.  Meisinger walked the next two batters before departing for reliever Wladimir Pinto.  Pinto threw a wild pitch to score Hoover, then walked Trayvon Robinson to reload the bases.  Cordero found the gap in left center for a two-run double that extended the lead to 7-2.  Pinto walked Colton Shaver to reload the bases before retiring three straight to get out of the inning.

Cordero doubled with one out in the sixth, and Shaver walked for the third straight time.  Both scored when Alejandro de Aza raced back on a deep fly by Barfield, turned and lost the handle on the ball.

Nile Ball (8-4) yielded the three Long Island runs in his six innings of work while yielding only four hits.  He pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the third, allowing one run on a double play grounder.  A second Long Island run came home on a bases loaded balk in the fourth.  Jose Sermo knocked in Deibinson Romero with a long sac fly to left center for the third Long Island tally.

Lancaster will send Cameron Gann (6-8) to the mound on Wednesday night against Ducks lefty Stephen Tarpley (4-7).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel, starting at 6:25.

NOTES:  Cordero now has 152 hits and 98 RBI, both league-leading totals and on pace for breaking the club record in both categories…He also took over the batting lead from Long Island center fielder Alejandro de Aza, .337 to .334…Mercedes’ homer was his first since July 26 and 11^th of the season…Anthony Peroni extended his hitting streak to 11…Lancaster is 8-5 against the Ducks on the season and 3-1 in the second half…The Barnstormers are tied for second in the wild card race, one-half game behind High Point.