Efficient Offense Leads Lancaster to Win

Seven times the Barnstormers got a runner to third base on Wednesday evenings.  All seven times, that man scored.

Lancaster utilized eight hits, none a home run, and only two walks to defeat the Sugar Land Skeeters, 8-3, in the middle game of a three-game set at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The Barnstormers attack included two sacrifice flies by Ryan Casteel and three RBI ground outs.  It was not until the three-run eighth that the Barnstormers scored a run on a base hit.

Darian Sandford got the Barnstormers started against Mitch Talbot (1-1) with a bloop single into left center.  The league’s leading larcenist stole second and third.  The latter of those steals induced a bad throw from catcher Derek Norris, enabling the run to score.

Lancaster struck again in the second on a triple by Trayvon Robinson, his third of the year, and the first of Casteel’s sacrifice flies on a long fly out to center.

Sugar Land would even the game in the top of the fourth on a leadoff home run by Albert Cordero and a sacrifice fly by Rey Navarro, the only runs scored in five innings off Tommy Shirley (2-0).  Lancaster regained control quickly as Joey Terdoslavich walked, went to third on a check swing double inside the third base bag by Robinson.  He scored on Casteel’s line drive to right field.

In the sixth, Tyler Bortnick walked and raced to third on Blake Gailen’s single to right center.  Terdoslavich hit a slow bounder to first baseman Matt Chavez, who fired to home but failed to cut down Bortnick.  Robinson bounced into a force out, and Casteel picked up his third RBI of the night, grounding to short with Robinson in motion.

After Cordero was thrown out on the front end of a double steal attempt in the top of the eighth, ending a threat, Lancaster salted the game away with four straight singles by Bortnick, Gailen, Terdoslavich and Robinson.  Keenyn Walker drove in the eighth Lancaster run on an infield out.

Shirley allowed four hits and four walks in his five innings.  He struck out three.  Jared Lakind, Kevin Munson, Scott Shuman and Matt Reynolds covered the final four innings.