ENCARNACION BLASTS BEAT STORMERS

Stephen Nogosek had the Long Island Ducks down to a final strike.

Instead, disaster struck as JC Encarnacion took a 3-2 pitch from Nogosek (1-1) over the boards in right field for a three-run homer as the Long Island Ducks picked off a 5-4 victory from the Stormers in the second game of a makeshift doubleheader at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Earlier, the Stormers defeated Long Island, 11-3, in the completion of a suspended game carried over from Saturday night.

Nogosek walked Alex Pantoja to open the bottom of the seventh inning but got the next two outs quickly.  Nick Heath drew the second walk of the inning to put the tying run on base.  Nogosek appeared to have the better of Encarnacion following a swing and miss at a high fastball for a 1-2 count.  The former Met missed with his next two pitches before yielding the walkoff homer, the second by a Duck against the Stormers this season.

Mason Martin had given the Stormers a 1-0 lead on the third consecutive singles produced by Lancaster in the first inning.  Long Island matched it off Matt Swarmer in the second, but Lancaster appeared to take control of the game in the fourth.  Martin led off with his second 400+-foot homer of the day, a drive to right center that broke the 1-1 tie.  Starter Sal Romano left with an injury in the middle of Chad Sedio’s at bat, and the Lancaster left fielder reached Nick Tropeano for a double down the right field line.  He would score on a bloop hit to left by Kyle Kasser for a 3-1 lead.

Encarnacion belted his first homer of the doubleheader off Swarmer in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 3-2, but Sedio advanced the lead back to two runs with a jolt to right center in the sixth.  Phil Diehl retired the side in order in the sixth.

Lancaster will entertain Southern Maryland Tuesday evening at 6:45 at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  Fans not in attendance may tune into Blue Ridge 11 or Flo Baseball, beginning at 6:40.

NOTES:  Martin has 13 RBI in the last six games…The Stormers have lost on three walkoffs in 14 games at Long Island this season…The Stormers will come home with a one-game lead over York and a two-game edge over Long Island in the North race…The walk to Pantoja starting the seventh was the first issued by Nogosek since July 6…He had gone 13 innings.