Lewis, Pen Blank Crabs

Coronado Belts Two Homers in 7-0 Win

For five innings on Tuesday evening, the Lancaster Barnstormers and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs battled to a scoreless tie.

Rommie Lewis kept it up.  Southern Maryland’s pitching did not.

Lewis fired seven shutout innings, and the Barnstormers rapped out four extra base hits, including three home runs in a 7-0 victory over the Blue Crabs in the opener of a rain-delayed, four-game series.

The win kept the Barnstormers within one-half game of the York Revolution in the second half Freedom Division chase.

Lewis (8-10) allowed three singles over his seven-inning stint while walking one and striking out four.  He had to escape trouble in each of his last two innings, retiring Devon Rodriguez on a grounder to second with runners at the corners in the sixth and striking out Tucker Nathans with the bases loaded in the seventh.

Drew Hayes (7-7) was able to match Lewis for the first five innings, but the Barnstormers reached him in the sixth.  Anderson De La Rosa lined a leadoff single into center but was forced at second by Beau Amaral.  Trayvon Robinson’s grounder to third was misplayed by Patrick Palmeiro for an error.  Cole Garner took the next pitch from Hayes over the head of Nathans in left for a 2-0 lead.

The Barnstormers continued the attack with the long ball.  Nate Coronado and Robinson connected in a three-run seventh, and Coronado homered again in the eighth with a man aboard for the final margin of victory.

Lancaster and Southern Maryland have a doubleheader on tap for Wednesday night at 6:30.  The Barnstormers will send right-hander Joe Gardner (0-3) and lefty Jarret Leverett (7-7) to the mound against lefty David Russo (0-2) and right-hander Craig Stem (2-2).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES:  Coronado had his 13^th multi-hit game in 35 starts…He has hit safely in 29…Of Robinson’s seven homers, four have been hit against the Blue Crabs…Lewis’ gem was his eighth quality start of the year…The game ended a stretch in which Lancaster had allowed six or more runs in 15 of 16 games…Cole Garner was hit by a pitch for the seventh time…Lancaster last threw a shutout July 17 at Sugar Land.