FREDERICK SWEEPS ‘STORMERS

Cabrera Walkoff Single Wins Game Two

Frederick wears the ?’s on the its jerseys, but the newly-minted team answered a lot of the doubts in a three-game series at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium over the weekend.

Leobaldo Cabrera’s bases loaded bloop hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh completed a double dip win for Frederick over the Lancaster Barnstormers on Sunday afternoon as well as a sweep of the three-game weekend series, 8-7.

Dustin Beggs fired a two-hit shutout in the opener as the Marylanders cruised to a 7-0 win.

Lancaster had just tied the slugfest in the nightcap in the top of the seventh on Chris Proctor’s two-out RBI single to left center off Arnaldo Hernandez (1-2), but the yet-to-be-named squad immediately put pressure on Andrew Lee (1-1) in the home half of the inning.  Luke Becker slapped an 0-2 pitch through the left side for a leadoff single.  Craig Dedelow, who drove in nine runs in the series, walked.  Lee recovered to retire the next two hitters bringing up Kole Cottam.  Lee worked ahead in the count but sent runners to second and third on a wild pitch before eventually walking Cottam.  Cabrera lifted his pop fly into shallow center.  Second baseman Trace Loehr got a glove on it, but it trickled free as Becker trotted home with the winning run.

Dedelow had given Frederick a 2-0 lead with a homer in the first, but the Barnstormers responded with five in the top of the second.  Melvin Mercedes doubled home a pair, and Jake Hoover scored on a wild pitch.  Trayvon Robinson made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly, and Andretty Cordero unloaded his third home run for a three-run lead.

Frederick tied the game against Dominic DiSabatino in the third.  Becker lined a base hit to right which skipped past Ariel Sandoval’s diving try for a trip.  He scored on a single to center by Dedelow, and Raudy Read, in his first Atlantic League day, belted a two-run homer.

A home run by Nicco Toni in the fourth spotted Frederick a two-run lead, but Carpenter belted a solo shot to right center in the fifth to cut the lead to one.

In the opener, Beggs (1-2) checked Lancaster on two singles, both by Mercedes, and a walk in a complete game effort, striking out three.  Two-out singles by Cottam and Osvado Abreu around a wild pitch put the first run on the board against Brent Teller (0-1).  Dedelow’s homer in the second extended the lead to 2-0.  Cottam went to the opposite field with a man aboard in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.  Dedelow connected again for a three-run shot in the sixth to complete the scoring.

Lancaster will open a three-game series against the Staten Island Ferryhawks at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Tuesday at 6:30.  Brandyn Sittinger (1-2) will make the start for the Barnstormers.  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:  Mercedes had hits in his last six at bats of the day to boost his average to .364…He has hit safely in 11 straight games…Sandoval lost a 12-game hitting streak in the opener when Abreu, the third baseman handled two straight smashes in Game One…Shawon Dunston, Jr. exited the first game in the first inning after grounding out to the catcher…Kelly Dugan remains out with a muscle strain, leaving Lancaster with nine position players…Catchers Chris Proctor and Jack Conley each played a game in the outfield…Lancaster is 0-6 in one-run games…The 4-11 start matches the 2022 record through 15 games.