THIRD INNING HOMERS DERAIL BARNSTORMERS

Sugar Land Drops Lancaster, 5-3

The Sugar Land Skeeters launched a pair of third inning home runs on Sunday afternoon, and the long balls proved to be enough as the visitors dropped the host Lancaster Barnstormers, 5-3, at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Lancaster now stands three games behind Sugar Land and four behind York in the Freedom Division race at the midpoint of the first half.

Wilfredo Rodriguez, the Sugar Land catcher, opened the third with a home run just to the right of dead center, his first long ball in the Atlantic League.  With one out, Tanner Peters (1-1) walked Brooks Conrad.  Jeremy Barfield kept the inning going with a two-out single to right.  Travis Scott skipped a three-run blast off the tents in right as the Skeeters built a 5-0 cushion behind Sean Gallagher (3-3).

Lancaster got two of the runs back in the fifth.  Mike McDade led off with his first home run of the season.  Gallagher walked Chase Patterson, who promptly went to second on a wild pitch.  One out later, Logan Schafer drilled a double into the right field corner to trim the lead to 5-2.

The ‘Stormers would go on to produce leadoff singles in the sixth and eighth innings.  Those hits led nowhere.  However, Sean Halton got the ninth going with a homer to left, his third long ball of the series, to narrow the lead to 5-3.  Derrick Loop closed it out, retiring the side in order afterward, to record his eighth save of the season.

Sugar Land sends left-hander Aaron Thompson (1-0) to the hill at 2:00 on Memorial Day afternoon against right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx (2-3).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, beginning at 1:45.

NOTES:  Schafer extended his hitting streak to nine games…McDade has hit in seven in a row…Halton has five extra base hits and six RBI in the series…He has homered to each field…The bullpen has collaborated to allow only one run in 12 2/3 innings in the series…As a team, the Barnstormers have 12 extra base hits in the series out of 23 hits totals…Lancaster leads the season series, 4-2.