Dead Heat Again.

Barnstormers Fall Back into Tie with 7-6 Loss

The Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution once again find themselves dead even in the Freedom Division race.

Now they need to look behind at Sugar Land as the Skeeters have climbed to within 2 ½ games after winning their sixth in the last seven tries.

Dustin Antolin got Nate Coronado to ground into a game-ending double play Monday afternoon as the Somerset Patriots held on for a 7-6 victory over the Barnstormers in the finale of a four-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  With York idle, the two clubs are tied atop the standings at 32-26.  Sugar Land is 29-28.

Tied at 5-5 in Lancaster, the Patriots got a leadoff triple down the right field line by Olmo Rosario in the eighth.  Scott Shuman (3-1) worked ahead of D’Vontrey Richardson at 1-2 but ended up walking the Patriots center fielder.  Aharon Eggleston also walked, loading the bases.  Shuman then walked Yovan Gonzalez on four pitches to walk home the go-ahead run.  Carlos Guzman made it 7-5 with a sacrifice fly to center against Daniel Moskos.

Garrett Weber opened the ninth with a home run to right field off Dustin Antolin, slicing the lead to 7-6.  One out later, Antolin drilled Sean Halton with a pitch.  Steve Clevenger looped a single into shallow left center, to put the tying run in scoring position before Coronado punched a grounder to second baseman Tony Thomas for the 4-6-3 game ending double play.

The Patriots grabbed a 5-0 lead in the third.  Aharon Eggleston took a 3-2 pitch from Brad Bergesen over the wall in right center to start the inning.  Two batters later, Carlos Guzman singled to right.  Alfredo Rodriguez laced a single up the middle, and Tony Thomas loaded the bases with a single to left.  Kyle Roller launched a base clearing double to left center, took third on an errant relay throw to the plate and scored the fifth run on Mark Minicozzi’s sacrifice fly.

Josh Bell slammed a three-run homer off Lucas Irvine in the bottom of the fourth, following singles by Clevenger and Coronado.  Cole Garner doubled with one out in the fifth and advanced on an infield single by Sean Halton.  Lefty Keith Hessler took over and walked Clevenger to load the bases.  Rosario misplayed a grounder to third by Coronado, allowing one run to score.  After Bell popped out, Lance Zawadzki singled to center, tying the game.

The Barnstormers head to New Britain on Tuesday to start a three-game series with the Bees.  Lancaster will send Luis Gonzalez to the mound against Nick Greenwood in a matchup of left-handers.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES:  Somerset won the season series, 13-9…Weber’s homer, in his final at bat with the club this season, was his 15^th of the year, the last seven coming against the Patriots…Garner has eight extra base hits in the last 10 games…Anderson De La Rosa banged out his 24^th double and has a five-game hitting streak, longest on the ballclub