LaHAIR PAIR SEALS DEAL AS SOMERSET BEATS LANCASTER

Patriots Take Sunday Matinee, 9-4

The assault on Lancaster pitching began with a slew of singles to center and ended with Bryan LaHair reaching the right field picnic deck twice as the Somerset Patriots bumped off the host Barnstormers, 9-4, on a breezy Sunday afternoon at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Mycal Jones blooped a single into center to open the game for Somerset.  Aharon Eggleston chased him to third with a line drive toward right center, and Eric Farris produced the first run with another liner straight away.  Mike Lee (2-2) got the first out on a slow grounder up the first base line.  Second baseman Lance Zawadzki was unable to manage a grounder to his backhand by LaHair for an error as a second run scored.  Trayvon Robinson singled into right to drive home Farris, and Carlos Guzman made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to right.

Farris added a second RBI on a ground out in the second inning.  LaHair took control of the game from there, taking Lee onto the front of the picnic deck with a line drive in the third.  One inning later, his towering fly cut through the brisk wind enough to drop onto the deck for a three-run homer off Justin Jackson.

Jeremy Horst (4-2) was reached for four runs over the first 5 2/3 innings but never put the Somerset lead in jeopardy.  Travis Witherspoon collected three hits over the first four innings, scoring twice for Lancaster.  Kevin Ahrens picked up a double and a sacrifice fly, and Caleb Gindl had an RBI single.  Lancaster managed to get the tying run to the plate in the first and third innings but never got any closer.

After all the action of the first four innings, Lancaster and Somerset combined for eight singles and no additional runs over the remainder of the game.

Terry Doyle (2-2) will work the series finale against local product Darin Gorski (3-2).  Fans may tune into Blue Ridge Cable 11 or the Barnstormers YouTube Channel Monday evening at 7:00 for the play-by-play action.

NOTES:  Mike McDade singled up the middle in the fifth to stretch his hitting streak to 17 games, three shy of the franchise record held by Matt LeCroy…He is 25-for-68 (.368) in the streak…McDade has 12 RBI in his last 11 games…Witherspoon has hit safely in 10 of 11, going 14-for-44 (.318)…Matt Reynolds picked up his 30th strikeout in 19 innings.