Lancaster Drops Fifth Straight, 10-8
Lancaster just got too far behind for a slew of home runs to make up the ground.
The Sugar Land Skeeters put together back-to-back four-run innings on Monday evening to take an 8-2 lead and send the Barnstormers to a 10-8 loss, the fifth straight defeat for Lancaster which has now lost eight of its last nine games at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
Leading, 2-0, in the third, left-hander Anthony Fernandez (0-1) got the first two outs easily but never picked up the third. Delwyn Young walked, and Ricky Hague singled up the middle, one of his four hits on the night. Jeremy Barfield walked to load the bases, leading to a two-run single by Jeff Dominguez. Beamer Weems cracked a double to left off Jonny Drozd, who entered his first game as a Barnstormer, and Wilfredo Rodriguez tacked on the fourth run of the inning with a single to the hole at shortstop.
Hague cranked a two-run double to the fence in left with one out in the fourth for a 6-2 lead. Jeremy Barfield followed with a home run off the walkway above the left field hillside, his 15th blast of the year and an 8-2 Skeeter edge.
Caleb Gindl’s two-run homer in the fourth and Sean Halton’s three-run blast in the fifth pulled Lancaster back to within one at 8-7.
R.J. Hively worked out of a jam in the sixth, but left with two outs and Josh Prince at second in the seventh. Young greeted Ryan Dennick with a single through the hole at short for a 9-7 lead. A two-out unearned run in the ninth stretched Sugar Land’s cushion one more.
Mike Jacobs crushed a two-out solo shot in the ninth, but Andrew Johnston finished off the game for his second save.
Sean Gallagher (7-4) was reached for seven hits and seven runs in five innings but still earned the win.
Right-hander Mike Lee (4-4) will be reactivated for the start on Tuesday night. He will be opposed by lefty Aaron Thompson (4-3). Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 6:45.
NOTES: Halton has five homers, 12 RBI and nine extra base hits overall in eight games against Sugar Land…Lancaster walked a season-high nine batters…The Barnstormers have allowed 43 hits and 16 walks and have been guilty of six errors in the last three games…Caleb Gindl, the named player in the Gochnauer Home Appliances Hit for the Cycle promotion, had a homer and a triple in the first four innings…The Barnstormers have 20 homers in their last 16 games.