DUGAN PACES ‘STORMERS TO FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME

Kelly Dugan had his biggest night of the season, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, to lead the Lancaster Barnstormers to a 9-5 win over the Lexington Counter Clocks Tuesday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Dugan singled home a run in the first inning, then connected for homers in the fifth and seventh, knocking home a total of four runs.

Lancaster struck for a pair of runs in the first off Merandy Gonzalez (1-1).  Melvin Mercedes led off with a four-pitch walk, and Andretty Cordero followed with a perfectly placed hit-and-run single to right.  Dugan ripped his base hit through the right side to score Mercedes.  Cordero came home on a force out by Trayvon Robinson.

The Clocks countered with a pair in the top of the second off Nile Ball (2-1).  J.C. Encarnacion looped a single into right and advanced to second when Yeison Coca overran the ball.  Thomas Dillard walked and Hector Roa was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Jackson Valera hit a slow roller to the right of the mound.  Ball made a wild throw home as Encarnacion scored.  Dillard made an attempt to score as well, but catcher Jack Conley fired from near the backstop to Ball covering for the first out.  Josue Huma got the second run home with a sacrifice fly.  Pete Yorgen’s chopper on the left side resulted in an infield single, but Valera was tagged out after a turn at second base to end the inning.

Strange play continued into the bottom of the second when Gonzalez walked the first two batters, then made a wild throw on a bunt by Yeison Coca, allowing Conley to come around and score.  Mercedes and Cordero each delivered sac flies for a 5-2 lead.

Manuel Geraldo’s bloop hit to left plated Ronnie Dawson with two outs in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3, but Dugan’s fifth inning bomb, hit to right center with Mercedes aboard, stretched the lead to 7-3.  The teams exchanged single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to close the night.

Lancaster will send right-hander Brandyn Sittinger (1-3) to the mound against former Phillie Jerad Eickhoff (3-3) on Wednesday at 6:30.  The game will be televised on Blue Ridge Cable 11 and streamed on FloBaseball with the first pitch.

NOTES:  Dugan also hit two homers against York in the home opener on May 2…The homers were his sixth and seventh of this season…Mercedes is 11-for-29 with five walks in his last eight games…Ball gave up three runs in a start for the fourth time in six outings…He won his second straight…C/1B Wilson Garcia made his Lancaster debut and went 1-for-4…C/OF Chris Proctor was injured in a collision with SS Jake Hoover on Geraldo’s fifth inning single…He will be assessed on Wednesday…The injury forced Ariel Sandoval into a game for the first time since May 20.