RAIN, GASTONIA BEAT STORMERS

Lancaster Loses Shortened Game

“It was a dark and stormy night…”

Nothing could have described Saturday evening at Penn Medicine Park more appropriately.

Play was finally halted after the third rain delay with the Gastonia Ghost Peppers collecting a 6-3 win over the host Stormers in the contest that was shortened to six innings.

The two clubs managed to play into the fourth inning in the initial section of the series’ middle game.  Gastonia took command with a five-run third inning that featured a two-run homer onto the right field deck by Justin Wylie and a two-run triple to dead center by Dalton Guthrie off starter Alex Garbrick (0-1).  Ethan Skender made it 6-0 with a double off the wall in right that greeted lefty Mason Ronan.

Nick Ward and Yeison Coca singled in the bottom of the third off Gastonia starter Raynel Espinal, who uncorked a wild pitch to give up the run.

The remainder of the night featured the umpiring crew doing a dance with Mother Nature and two teams enjoying a trip to the waterpark.

Play was halted for 55 minutes in the top of the fourth inning.  Gastonia lefty Adam Scott had issues with the feel of the baseball when play resumed, hitting Alex Isola with his first pitch and walking two others.  A 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Kelly Dugan dashed Lancaster’s hopes in the inning.

Jack Reinheimer and Kevin Watson, Jr. both careened out of control on the slip-and-slide heading into second on steal attempts in the visitors’ fifth and were tagged out before they could reach back.

Then came the bottom of the inning.  With rain teaming down, and the umpires doing everything humanly possible to complete an official game, Scott’s troubles with the slick conditions grew worse.  The lefty walked Slater Schield to open the Lancaster fifth, got two outs, then walked Mason Martin after a long at bat.  He plunked Isola again.  Then Dugan to force home a run.  A wild pitch sent Martin home.

Gastonia skipper Mauro Gozzo summoned another lefty, Justus Sheffield, from his pen.  After going to a 3-2 count on Joseph Carpenter, he coaxed a lazy fly to right to end the threat.

As soon as the final out was recorded skies opened again, and a permanent stoppage of play seemed inevitable.  Then, mysteriously, the rain stopped.  Fourteen minutes into the delay, the teams were sent back on to the field.  The sixth inning elapsed uneventfully. 

Then the rains struck again with lightning and a downpour worse than the first.  Everyone had seen enough, and the remainder of the game was formally scratched.

Lancaster will send lefty Keylan Killgore (0-1) to the hill at 2:00 Sunday afternoon.  He will match up against Gastonia right-hander Connor Grey (0-1).  Fans may tune into FloBaseball at 1:55 for the play-by-play action.

NOTES:  Lancaster has managed only one extra base hit in the series, a Carpenter homer on Friday…The Stormers have now been hit by six pitches in the last five games…Schield has reached base in all six games he has played…He made his first start at second base, and Nick Lucky went to the outfield to start for the first time.