STORMERS RUN WILD

Win Streak Extended with Record Eight SB

With hot hitting Cristian Santana unavailable and other members of the club banged up, the Lancaster Stormers turned to the running game on Tuesday evening.

Lancaster set a franchise record eight bases in a 5-2 victory over the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars in the opener of a three-game series at Meritus Park.

The win was Lancaster’s 14^th straight, extending their own franchise record and closing to within one of the Atlantic League’s longest streak, a 15-game stretch put together by Somerset in 2000.  The Stormers also pulled within one game of York in the tightening North race.

Hagerstown parlayed a leadoff walk to Andres Noriega and a double by Ozzie Abreu into the first two runs of the night off Jack Labosky (3-1) as the runs scored on consecutive ground outs in third.  Labosky would yield no more, lasting seven innings in firing his fourth quality start of the season.

Lancaster began its comeback path in the fourth inning.  Marvin Gorgas (1-3) hit Gaige Howard with a pitch with one out in the inning.  Howard then stole the first of the eight bags, taking second.  He scored on a single to right by player-coach Trayvon Robinson.

Jack Conley’s leadoff homer down the left field line in the fifth tied the game.  The attack continued.  With two outs, Chris Proctor walked, and Joseph Carpenter extended his hitting streak to 17 with a single to left.   The runners pulled off a double steal and scored the lead runs on Gaige Howard’s single to right.

Infielder Jordan Howard, who signed on Monday, walked and stole second and third in the sixth.  He would score on a wild pitch for the 5-2 lead.

Stephen Nogosek yielded back-to-back singles to Demetrius Moorer and Jaylyn Williams in the eighth but escaped trouble when Curtis Terry bounced into a 6-3 double play.  Kyle Johnson retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the ninth for his third save.

Lancaster will send Max Green (1-3) to the mound on Wednesday evening.  Hagerstown will counter with another lefty, Mike Kickham (3-3).  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, starting at 6:25.

NOTES:  Gaige and Jordan Howard, along with Proctor stole two bases apiece…Joseph Carpenter and Trace Loehr grabbed one each…Lancaster has scored at least five runs in the last 11 games…Carpenter is within six of the franchise record hitting streak…All three of Labosky’s wins have come against the Flying Boxcars…He threw his fifth quality start.