LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT

Ledet Foils Barnstormers for a Second Time

There is always THAT guy.  That one pitcher who does not have good overall numbers, but your club just cannot figure out.

For the 2023 Lancaster Barnstormers, that guy is Lexington Counter Clocks lefty Patrick Ledet.

Ledet (4-5), for the second time this year, through seven shutout innings, this time pitching Lexington to a 5-3 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Counter Clocks Field.

Lancaster managed seven singles off Ledet on Tuesday, four more than in his previous 1-0 victory at Clipper Magazine Stadium on May 5.  Against the rest of the league, the Texas native is 2-5 with a 6.94 ERA.  The left-hander walked none and struck out five.

Andrew Moritz, in his first Atlantic League at bat, slugged a two-run homer off Dominic DiSabatino (3-4) in the bottom of the second, the only runs until a messy bottom of the sixth inning.

In the sixth, Hector Roa reached on a one-out throwing error by Jake Hoover.  Moritz walked, and the Barnstormers went to submariner Garrett Granitz.  Josue Huma greeted Granitz with a single to left center.  Melvin Mercedes’ throw home barely missed getting Roa, and the other runners moved up.  Brandt Broussard hit a chopper to first baseman Andretty Cordero, whose throw home was wild, and two runs scored.

Lancaster managed to climb back into the game off the right side of the Lexington bullpen.  Ariel Sandoval belted a two-run homer to left center in the eighth off Lincoln Hentzman.  Trace Loehr connected with the bases empty in the ninth off closer Garrett Schilling.  Mercedes followed with a single, bringing up Cordero as the tying run.  He quickly rapped into a 6-3 double play to end the threat, giving Schilling his 10^th save.

The Barnstormers will send Nile Ball (2-2) to the mound on Wednesday at 12:05 against lefty Mike Kickham, a big league veteran making his ALPB debut.  Fans many tune in on FloBaseball, beginning at noon.

NOTES:  Wilson Garcia singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to eight…Sandoval has hit safely in 27 of 30 starts…Mercedes has six hits and Loehr has eight in the last three games…Tyler LaPorte was awarded his first stolen base as the designated pinch runner, taking over for Garcia in the sixth…