STEADY LANCASTER ATTACK SMOTHERS BEES

Long Bus Trip Has No Effect in 9-2 Victory

A strong road trip for the Lancaster Barnstormers keeps getting better, despite a grueling overnight bus ride.

The Barnstormers, who arrived at the team hotel in New Britain after seven o’clock in the morning, banged out 13 hits on Friday evening to defeat the host Bees, 9-2, in the opener of a three-game series at New Britain Stadium.

Lancaster is now 6-3 on the current trip, having won six of the last eight to guarantee a winning road swing.

Caleb Gindl banged out three doubles and drove in three runs on Friday evening while Mike McDade added a double and a two-run homer.

Josh Bell got the attack underway with an RBI single in the top of the first, but it was Gindl that gave the Barnstormers the lead to stay with a two-run double to left center, scoring Mike Jacobs and McDade in the second.

Gindl added a second RBI double in the fifth off Kevin Vance (0-1, 3-2). The right-hander walked both Trayvon Robinson and K.C. Hobson to load the bases, and Dean Wilson, who filled in for Bell early in the game, made it 5-1 with a sacrifice fly to center.

Sean Halton added an RBI double in the seventh, and McDade put the game out of reach with his two-run blast off long time Lancaster right-hander Scott Patterson in the eighth.

Anthony Fernandez (1-1) worked six innings, allowing only five hits and two runs. James Skelton doubled to open the game and eventually scored an unearned run on a throwing error. The other run came in the sixth when Jake McGuiggan led off with a double, went to third on a single by Jovan Rosa and scored when Jon Griffin grounded into a force play.

The Barnstormers send right-hander Joey Maher (0-0) to the hill against right-hander Nate Roe (2-3) on Saturday at 6:35. Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, starting at 6:15.

NOTES: The last Barnstormer to bang out three doubles in a game was Yusuke Kajimoto on May 23, 2014…McDade has six homers and 20 RBI in his last 17 games…The Barnstormers put Jeff Kobernus on the disabled list earlier in the day and reactivated Wilson…Terry Doyle was placed on the inactive list to make room for Fernandez.