“IRONMASTERS” ROMP IN DEBUT

Club Rolls Over Staten Island, 14-7

The Lancaster Barnstormers donned alternative uniforms on Friday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium, and the alter egos, the Lebanon Ironmasters, put together a 15-hit attack to drop the visiting Staten Island Ferryhawks, 14-7, in the opener of a three-game series.

Kelly Dugan homered, doubled and drove in four while Anderson Feliz contributed a homer, double and three-RBI to lead the Ironmasters to the win in the debut of the orange-sleeved jerseys.

With the score tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth, Feliz took starter Eddy Reynoso out of the yard to right center for his third homer of the season and a 3-1 advantage.  Trace Loehr followed with a single, and one-out later, Melvin Mercedes added the second of his three hits, bringing on Dugan.  The slugging first baseman ended his longest home run drought since the beginning of the year, belting his 21^st high over the right field tents as Lebanon went up, 6-1.

Staten Island, a team averaging 3.2 runs/game responded with a savage attack against Lancaster starter Erik Manoah in the top of the fifth to overtake the Ironmasters.  The inning opened with a long walk to Mariel Batista.  One out later, Bryan Gonzalez lined a single over Dugan’s glove that chased Batista to third.  Antoine Duplantis slammed a three-run homer down the right field line to cut the lead to 6-4.  Alfredo Reyes flied to right, but Angel Aguilar belted a homer to left to cut the Lebanon lead to 6-5.  Ricardo Cespedes singled to left to put the tying run aboard.  Dilson Herrera hit a drive to deep left.  Trayvon Robinson, trying to track the ball down, went hard into the vinyl-covered chain link and fell to the ground.  By the time shortstop Anderon Feliz could recover the ball, Herrera was well on his way home with an inside-the-park home run.

The Ironmasters’ comeback got off to a false start as Connor Law entered with the bases loaded on walks and stranded all three runners.  Lebanon got to Law (1-1) in the bottom of the sixth, however.  With one out, Dugan was walked on four pitches.  Andretty Cordero doubled to the gap in left center to score Dugan with the tying run.  Cordero went to third as ball four to Colton Shaver was wild, and a sacrifice fly by LeDarious Clark put the host club in the lead to stay.

Six more runs crossed in the home eighth.  Dugan doubled home one and scored on a wild pitch.  Clark slugged an opposite field homer for an 11-7 lead.  Robinson, who stayed in the game, each doubled, then, following a walk to Loehr, Shawon Dunston, Jr, ripped a two-run triple into the right field corner.

Cole Aker (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the Barnstormers to earn the win.  Donald Goodson got his club out of trouble in the eighth after the Ferryhawks picked up two singles against Augie Sylk, pitching between starts.

The Ironmasters will host Staten Island again on Saturday night.  Oscar De La Cruz (2-1) will make the start against Hector Guance Pena.  Fireworks will follow the game.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel or Froggy Valley 100.1 beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:  Dugan’s homer was his 22^nd of the season, but he lost ground in the home run chase as Lexington’s Courtney Hawkins hit his 22^nd and 23, and York’s Carlos Franco hit #’s 21 and 22…Mercedes is 18-for-46 (.391) in his last 11 games…Cordero has hit safely in 34 of 41…Clark now has 12 homers along with his 23 stolen bases…Dunston has four triples in 19 games…Aker has two wins and a save in eight days.