Lyons Double in 10th Gives Long Island 5-4 Victory
The Long Island Ducks avoided a sweep of a four-game series on Sunday afternoon as Dan Lyons took a two-out, full count pitch to the left center field gap for a winning double for a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers on Sunday afternoon.
In the process, Barnstormers DH Blake Gailen rapped out three hits, giving him 497 in his Barnstormers career. That ties Jutt Hileman (2005-08) as the all-time ‘Stormers career leader.
With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Jordan Pacheco rolled a single just out of the reach of third baseman Sean Halton. Cody Hall (1-3) struck out Giovanny Alfonzo for the second out, but Lyons rode the 3-2 pitch out of the reach of center fielder Darian Sandford. The ball rolled back toward center after hitting the wall, and Pacheco was able to score the game winner uncontested.
It was Long Island’s third and final lead of the afternoon.
Elmer Reyes gave Long Island the initial lead with a two-run single to left with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the fourth single of the inning off Nate Reed, who carried a shutout into the fifth inning for the fourth time in six starts.
Sandford tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Halton in the sixth, but Cody Puckett singled home a run in the lower half of the inning to rebuild the two-run lead for the Ducks.
Lancaster finally got to all-time Ducks winner John Brownell in the seventh. Vladimir Frias drilled a two-out single into center. Anderson De La Rosa followed with a two-run jolt to left, tying the game at 3-3.
Marc Krauss reached base on a walk to start the bottom of the eighth inning. With a sacrifice bunt, a single into right and a sacrifice fly by Lyons, the Ducks parlayed that walk into the go-ahead run at 4-3.
Closer David Aardsma was unable to hold that lead. Gailen led off the ninth with a double past the reach of Fehlandt Lentini in right. Pinch runner Rico Noel stole third and scored when Aardsma’s former Seattle teammate, Trayvon Robinson, lined a 2-2 offering into left center to tie the game. Robinson stole second, but the Barnstormers could never get a lead run home.
The Barnstormers are off on Memorial Day and open a three-game series against the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday night at 6:30. Bryan Evans (1-2) will make the start for Lancaster against former Barnstormer and Phillie Jerome Williams. Game time is 6:30.
NOTES: The Barnstormers held a two-game lead in the Freedom Division as Southern Maryland and Sugar Land also lost close games…The Barnstormers collected at least one-extra base hit for the 37th straight game…Lancaster’s bullpen surrendered a run for the first time since Monday…They had posted 15 straight scoreless frames until the Ducks run in the eighth…Caleb Gindl had two bunt singles…Long Island third baseman Cody Puckett left the game on a stretcher in the bottom of the eighth after trying to avoid a tag from K.C. Hobson on a sacrifice bunt…At this time, there is no word as to the extent of the injuries.