GREAT SCOTT! BARNSTORMERS LOSE, 3-2

Nemesis Travis Scott Drives in Winning Run

Travis Scott seems to love Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The last time that the Sugar Land catcher/first baseman came to town, he slugged a pair of homers.

Scott did not clear the fences in Lancaster on Tuesday evening, but his long double to the right center field alley in the top of the ninth scored Delwyn Young with the tiebreaking run as the Skeeters defeated the host Barnstormers, 3-2, in the opener of a three-game series.

Sugar Land climbed back into second place with the win while the Barnstormers, who have lost five of their last six games, dropped to third, three games behind the division leading York Revolution.

Young picked up a one-out walk from Scott Gracey (2-3) and scored easily when Scott, who has knocked in 11 runs total against Lancaster this season, followed with a double that Travis Witherspoon had to play off the fence in deep right center.  The Skeeters threatened to score more, loading the bases with one out, but Gracey coaxed grounders to first out of both Beamer Weems and Jeff Dominguez to end the inning.

Derrick Loop came on to close the game in the bottom of the ninth but struggled.  After retiring Caleb Gindl on a fly ball to deep left, the Skeeters’ lefty ace walked both Josh Whitaker and Josh Bell to put the winning run on base.  Sean Halton, whose home run in late May is responsible for the only run Loop has allowed all season, drilled a line drive at left fielder Jeremy Barfield for the second out.  Loop struck out Mike McDade to end both the night and McDade’s 18-game hitting streak.

Earlier, Ricky Hague and K.C. Hobson exchanged two-run homers, the only offense produced against the respective starters.  Both Lancaster’s Bryan Evans and Sugar Land’s Jake Hale worked seven innings, giving up those two runs while striking out nine.

Lancaster had a chance to snap the tie in the bottom of the eighth as left-hander Chris Rearick walked Lance Zawadzki and yielded an opposite field single to Hobson.  Travis Witherspoon’s bunt hopped into Scott’s possession for a force out at third, and Rearick (2-1) got Charlie Cutler to ground into a double play to end the threat.

The two clubs meet again on Wednesday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  Lancaster will send right-hander Tanner Peters (1-3) to the hill against right-hander Sean Gallagher (5-3).  Fans may tune into Blue Ridge Cable 11 or the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 7:00.

NOTES:  McDade finished two shy of Matt LeCroy’s franchise record 20-game streak, set in 2008…Gracey lost for the third time in a week after going 1 1/3 seasons in Lancaster without a loss…Hobson’s homer was his first in the Atlantic League…On his first at bat, Hobson was called out on strikes, leading to the ejection of his father, Butch, the Lancaster manager.