LANCASTER BATS COME TO LIFE

Stormers Salvage Series with 12-Hit Attack

The Lancaster Stormers rapped out 12 hits on Sunday afternoon, salvaging the finale of a three-game series with an 8-3 victory over the Lexington Legends.

With the victory, the only one for the Stormers in the series, Lancaster temporarily remained one-half game ahead of York in the Northern Division race, pending the outcome of the Revolution’s second game against the Long Island Ducks.

The Stormers would use doubles by Gaige Howard and Isan Diaz in the top of the first to grab the early lead, but Korry Howell greeted Noah Bremer with a homer to left, immediately answering.  Loehr’s controversial homer down the right field line with one out in the third staked Lancaster to a lead off Matt Reitz (2-5, 2-8) that it never lost.

Damon Dues walked, stole second and scored on outs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 3-1, and Dues came through again in the seventh with a bases loaded single to left to push the lead to 5-1. 

Mason Martin added a two-run homer in the eighth.  Chris Proctor singled home Joseph Carpenter with a later run.

Lancaster survived the afternoon with a patchwork quilt of pitching.  Noah Bremer started for the fourth time in nine days, but lasted only 3 1/3 innings, limited to 55-60 pitches (he threw 57).  Jackson Rees (5-1) got the next five outs, walking one and striking out three.  Kyle Johnson fired a perfect sixth inning but walked Roberto Gonzalez to open the seventh, ultimately costing him a run.

From there, Scott Engler took over and struck out the two batters he faced.  Howell hit his second homer of the afternoon on a 2-2 pitch from Phil Diehl in the eighth, but Diehl retired the side in order afterward.  Steffon Moore brought Lancaster within one out of the win, then walked two before striking out Keenan O’Brien to finally nail down the win.

The Stormers head home to face the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars Tuesday at 6:45.  Fans may tune into FloBaseball or Blue Ridge 11 at 6:40.

NOTES:  Martin’s homer extended his hitting streak to 12 games…It was the second straight contest where his streak was kept alive on his final at bat…Howard had his 33^rd multi-hit game…Over the four starts, Bremer allowed two runs on six hits in 11 total innings…His ERA dropped to 3.67…Loehr left the game and was replaced by Kyle Kasser, who went 2-for-2.