‘STORMERS BATS QUIET IN LOSS

Somerset Wins Pitchers’ Duel, 2-0

Runs are proving difficult to find for the Lancaster Barnstormers at TD Bank Park this weekend.

On Saturday, Brett Oberholtzer and a pair of relievers limited the Lancaster attack to five singles as the Patriots picked up a 2-0 victory in the third game of a four-game series.

It marked the fifth loss in the last six games for Lancaster.

Oberholtzer (1-0) retired the first nine batters he faced and lasted five innings, yielding two hits and two walks. James Pugliese threw the next two, Mike Broadway worked the eighth, and Mike Antonini threw the ninth for his seventh save.

On this night, Lancaster had chances.  In the fourth singles to left by Dan Gamache and Caleb GIndl around a walk to Joe Terdoslavich loaded the bases with one out.  Oberholtzer coaxed a 6-4-3 double play out of Josh Bell.

Three innings after, Pugliese walked Gindl leading off.  Bell grounded into another double play, forcing the team to reload.  K.C. Hobson and Zach Shank singled, putting the tying runs aboard.  Anderson De La Rosa stroked a grounder to shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, but the force play throw to second was late, enabling Lancaster to bring Darian Sandford to the plate with the bases loaded.  Sandford got to 3-1 before grounding to Rodriguez to cap the inning.

Somerset picked up the only runs it needed off Kyle Davies (0-1) in the third.  Rodriguez walked leading off and took second on a Ramon Flores bunt.  Will Kengor drilled a single into right to score the first run.  Rey Navarro followed suit, and Michael Ohlman walked.  Kengor scored on a foul sacrifice fly by Edwin Espinal.

Davies worked six innings, allowing six singles and the two runs.  The right-hander walked three and struck out eight.

The series is scheduled to conclude on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 with lefties Buddy Baumann (1-0) and Rick Teasley (0-0) as the mound opponents.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, starting at 12:45.

NOTES:  Lancaster’s pitching struck out 10 and has now fanned 151 in 135 innings this season…Michael Martinez was 0-for-4 in his ‘Stormers debut but lined out twice…Davies threw his second straight quality start and the club’s fifth in the last eight games…Lancaster has gone 17 2/3 innings without scoring and, at one stretch, went 12 innings without a hit.