RACE TIGHTENS AS STORMERS FALL

Long Island Pulls Out 7-4 Labor Day Win

The race is on, entering the home stretch.

Long Island scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on Monday afternoon to snap a 3-3 tie, defeating the Lancaster Stormers, 7-4, in the finale of a four-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

With the loss, the Stormers now lead the North Division by three games over the Ducks and 3 ½ over York.  Twelve games remain in the regular season, and, for the Stormers, all will be played in Pennsylvania with nine at home and three in York.

After the Stormers had just tied the game on a Joe Stewart triple in the top of the sixth, JC Encarnacion poked a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning off Matt Swarmer (5-3).  Encarnacion advanced on a grounder and scored when Yoelquis Cespedes yanked an 0-2 pitch into left for an RBI single.  Jackson Rees came on in relief and issued a wild pitch that sent Cespedes to second before walking Scott Kelly.  Rees struck out Kole Kaler, but Alexis Pantoja, batting for the first time in the game, grounded a triple down the right field line.  He would later score the fourth run of the inning on an error.

The Stormers would counter with a two-out run on a Trace Loehr single in the eighth and set themselves up in the ninth with a walk to Isan Diaz and single by Niko Hulsizer. Ramon Santos went to a full count on Mason Martin but got him to foul to third for the second out.  Stewart flied to center to end the game.

Long Island had taken three separate one-run leads earlier in the game, two on base hits by Aaron Antonini and one on a wild pitch.  A sacrifice fly by Kyle Kasser and double by Jack Conley had forged earlier ties.

Peyton Williams (3-2) allowed the Lancaster run in the sixth but got the final three outs of the inning to pick up the win.

The venue shifts to Clipper Magazine Stadium for the next three games.  Lefty Brady Tedesco (2-3) will make the start for the Stormers on Tuesday against right-hander Chris Ellis (1-0).  Fans not in attendance may tune into the game on FloBaseball, starting at 6:40.

NOTES:  In a baseball rarity, Martin scored all four of Lancaster’s runs in the game…He reached on an error, fielder’s choice, single and walk…Stewart’s triple was his club leading sixth…The Stormers managed 10 hits in the game and drew four walks but were only 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position.