ROCKERS DENY EPPLEY 100th SAVE

The High Point Rockers did not give up on Tuesday night’s game against the Lancaster Barnstormers.  Nor have they given up on the first half pennant chase.

High Point rallied for two runs off closer Cody Eppley in the bottom of the night for a 4-3 victory, keeping the ‘Stormers right-hander from his 100^th Atlantic League save.   The win kept the third place Rockers alive in the Liberty Division race.  They started the night three games behind the Long Island Ducks and two in back of the Somerset Patriots.  First half play ends this weekend.

Richie Shaffer led off the ninth with a booming double to left center.  Hector Gomez singled up the middle with Shaffer beating the throw from Andrew Aplin home.  Gomez took second on the play then advanced to third on a wild pitch with Matthew Jones batting.  Jones followed with a fly ball to deep center which cleared Aplin for a game winning single.

Lancaster scored its three runs early.  Michael Martinez and Dan Gamache greeted Tyler Herron with singles.  Caleb Gindl plated the first run with a double to the gap in left center.  K.C. Hobson made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.

In the second, Anderson De La Rosa singled with one out.  Martinez grounded a single to the right of second baseman Tyler Ladendorf with two outs.  The ball skipped past center fielder Myles Schroder, and De La Rosa came around to score.

The Barnstormers did not have a runner before the first two outs of an inning over the remainder of the night.

Lancaster starter John Anderson was reached only in the second.  Quincy Latimore started the inning with a single to the hole at shortstop.  One out later, Shaffer crashed a ground rule double to right center.  Gomez singled to left to score one.  A second run came home when Jones rapped into a 3-6 force play but no one covered first to handle a relay throw from Martinez.

Anderson worked six innings for his second straight quality start and fifth of the season.  Alejandro Chacin and Scott Shuman each pitched a perfect inning of relief.

Jonathan Albaladejo (1-3) makes the start for the Barnstormers against right-hander Dominic DeMasi (2-1) on Wednesday.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:15.

NOTES:  Gindl’s RBI was his 47^th of the season…Hobson became the fourth member of the club to reach 40 RBI this season…Hobson extended his hitting streak to six with a double in the third, tying his longest of the season…Hobson also took sole possession of fourth on the club’s all-time RBI list with 212…Aplin picked up his first Atlantic League hit with a single in the eighth.