Noah Bremer yielded four hits and two runs in six innings, but the host Lancaster Stormers had to survive some whacky bullpen innings to pull out a 6-5 win over the High Point Rockers early Thursday at Penn Medicine Park.
With the win, the Stormers improved to a season-best three games over .500 at 12-9.
Bremer (2-1) allowed three straight hits in the first inning, including a two-run homer by Alex Dickerson. The right-hander settled down and yielded only two additional baserunners over the next five innings and got plenty of support from his ballclub.
Jeremy Arocho, Jake Thompson and Tyler Miller assaulted Yuhi Sako (1-2) with three consecutive doubles to start the game for Lancaster. Miller later scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Kelly as the Stormers took a 3-2 edge.
A leadoff double by Jalen Battles, a passed ball and a sac fly by Thompson made it 4-2 in the second, but the Stormers would not increase the lead again until the fifth when Miller led off with his sixth homer of the season, a liner onto the right field deck. One inning later, Thompson’s second sac fly of the day gave Lancaster a 6-2 lead.
Lancaster squirmed out of the next couple of innings despite numerous mishaps. Ethen Skender reached on a missed third strike to open the seventh and moved up when Matt Stil walked Luke Napleton. After Troy Schreffler flied out to left fielder Tyler Robertson, Aidan Brewer walked and Chris Brady was hit by a pitch to score a run.
Phil Diehl rescued the inning with a strikeout of Anthony Servideo and a force play grounder off the bat of Max Viera.
With Andrew Schultz on the hill, the eighth inning started to resemble the seventh. Dickerson reached on a missed third strike, and Braxton Davidson was hit by a pitch. Schultz struck out Skender. Napleton hit a bounder to Miller at third, but the defender lost the handle on the ball while attempting a force out.
Schultz struck out the next two to complete a rare four-strikeout inning.
Billy Sullivan retired the first two batters in the ninth before walking Viera with two outs. Dickerson followed with his second homer of the day before Davidson became the 12th strikeout victim of the Lancaster staff to end the day.
The Stormers will entertain the Rockers again on Friday evening, Right-hander Jason Bollman (1-0) will take the hill for the Stormers and be opposed by RHP Matt Colucci (1-0). The Zooperstars will perform during the game. Fans may follow the action on HomeTeam Network/Dugout TV, starting at 6:35.
NOTES: Schultz has 18 K’s in 8.2 innings of work…Miller and Thompson combined to drive in five runs in the game and now have 43 between them in 20 games…Arocho is 10-for-22 in a five-game hitting streak…Nick Lucky was at second base with nobody out four times and never scored.