GASTONIA STUNS STORMERS

Ghost Peppers Take Finale in Ninth

The Gastonia Ghost Peppers were down to a final strike.  Two pitches later, they had the lead, and Lancaster could not respond.

Kevin Watson, Jr. drilled a 1-2 pitch for a double to dead center, and Richie Martin launched a homer to right center off Phil Diehl (0-2) to follow as Gastonia dropped the Stormers, 8-7, in stunning fashion Sunday afternoon at Penn Medicine Park.

The afternoon was loaded with home runs in the seesaw battle.  Of the 17 total hits on the day, eight were homers and six others were doubles on favorable wins and humidity.

Watson led off the game with a shot onto the right field deck off starter Keylan Killgore, and Martin followed with a similar shot.  One batter later, Justin Wylie crushed the third of Gastonia’s five homers with a blast to the much deeper left field.

Nick Ward answered with a homer to lead off for the Stormers, and Lancaster tied the game on a throwing error and Ward sac fly in the second, only to have Wylie leave the yard for the second time in the game in the top of the third, this time with a man aboard.

Ledarious Clark found the picnic deck in the fourth to slice the lead back to one.  Again, extra base hits boosted the Gastonia lead as Wylie and Cole Roederer knocked out back-to-back two-out doubles in the fifth.

Joseph Carpenter slugged Lancaster’s third homer of the day with one out in the seventh.  Nick Lucky walked, took second on a wild pitch and rode home on Andrew Semo’s long double to left as Lancaster knotted the score for the second time.

The lone lead came in the bottom of the eighth.  Carpenter picked up a one-out walk and raced home on Lucky’s double to the gap in left center.  Semo hit a bounder back to the box that resulted in a bizarre double play at second to end the inning.

Diehl picked up two easy outs and appeared to be on the verge of his fourth save when the disaster struck.

Nick Horvath (1-0) notched the win for the Ghost Peppers, and Nick Snyder tossed a perfect ninth for his first save.

Lancaster will host Southern Maryland on Tuesday at 6:45.  Tim Brennan (0-0) will make the start for the Stormers against Crabs right-hander John Kelly (0-1).  Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball at 6:40.

NOTES:  Four of the last seven games have been decided by one run with the Stormers splitting decisions…Semo has an extra base hit in all three starts…Slater Schield has reached base in all seven games…Scott Engler and Jackson Rees combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.