DUGAN LEADS ‘STORMERS TO SWEEP

DUGAN LEADS ‘STORMERS TO SWEEP

Lefty Slugger Drives In Four as Lancaster Dumps York

The home opening weekend is over for the Lancaster Barnstormers, and fans on the east side of the Susquehanna River can claim bragging rights, at least for now.

Kelly Dugan homered, doubled and drove in four runs to pace the Lancaster Barnstormers to a 12-6 victory on Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of the York Revolution at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Dugan got Lancaster underway immediately with a two-run homer to right off Duke von Schamann (0-2), plating Melvin Mercedes in the bottom of the first inning.

Following a J.C. Encarnacion homer leading off the third, the Barnstormers went back to work in the bottom of the fourth.  Dugan led off with a single up the middle and took second when Andretty Cordero walked.  Connor Lien ripped a double to left scoring both before being tagged out trying to get to third.

Four more Lancaster runs crossed the plate in the fifth.  LeDarious Clark picked up a one-out walk and was able to race to third on a single to right by Mercedes.  Isaac Sanchez struck out Colton Shaver and had Dugan down 0-2, but the red hot lefty slugger turned on a 3-2 pitch, driving it into the right field corner for a two-run double.  Cordero doubled inside the bag at third, and Lien picked up his fifth extra base hit in seven Lancaster at bats, again doubling to left as the lead built to 8-1.

The Barnstormers picked up two more in the sixth, one on a single by Mercedes, and Clark added a two-run homer in the eighth.

Cam Gann (1-0) threw six strong innings, yielding one run on three hits with seven strikeouts.  Donald Goodson fired a pair of shutout innings before York struck for five in the ninth against Oscar De La Cruz, an inning that included consecutive doubles by Carlos Franco, Carlos Castro and Encarnacion.

By then, the Barnstormers had built a strong enough boat to weather the storm.

Lancaster is off on Monday before opening a three-game series at Southern Maryland on Tuesday evening.  Dominic DiSabatino (0-2) makes the start for the Barnstormers against the Atlantic League’s all-time wins leader Daryl Thompson (0-1).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel, starting at 6:30.

NOTES:  Dugan finished the series 7-for-14 with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBI…Gann has 19 strikeouts in 15.2 innings…Shaver extended his hitting streak to seven with a single to right in the eighth…Cordero is 5-for-8 with five RBI on Sundays…Lien has four doubles and a triple as a Barnstormer…Lancaster outscored York, 40-16, after a run differential of 12-53 in the previous five games.

About the Lancaster Barnstormers

The Lancaster Barnstormers are headed into their 18^th year in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.  Home games are played at Ballpark Digest’s two-time Best Ballpark in MLB Partner League Baseball – Clipper Magazine Stadium in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Please call 717.509.HITS (4487) or visit www.lancasterbarnstormers.com for more information. 

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

With teams throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 1,000 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 44 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 24-year history. For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.

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