Vaughn Homer Leads Blue Crabs To Win.

Barnstormers Focus Shifts to Second Half

Cory Vaughn launched a two-out homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and send the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to a first half title with an 8-3 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers Monday evening at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The game had been postponed originally on May 25 and again on July 28.

L.J. Hoes reached on a one-out single that deflected off starter Brad Bergesen (9-7) and rolled away into shallow right.  Michael Snyder followed with a liner headed for the alley in right center on which Beau Amaral made a great diving catch for the second out.  However, Devon Rodriguez singed into left, and Vaughn took a 1-1 pitch up onto the left field deck for the tiebreaking blow.

Lancaster tried to respond in the sixth on a two-out ground rule double to right center by Garrett Weber and RBI single up the middle by Nate Coronado.

It was not enough.

Southern Maryland put the game away with three runs in the seventh.  John Kuchno walked Hoes on four pitches then hit Snyder to put two runners aboard.  Daniel Moskos took over to face the lefty batting Rodriguez.  Lancaster set the infield for a bunt, but Rodriguez swung away, sneaking a bouncer inside the bag at first for a two-run double.  He scored when Zach Cone rapped a double off the glove of third baseman Sean Halton.

The Barnstormers had rallied from an early 2-0 deficit on an RBI grounder by Weber in the fourth and a solo homer by Trayvon Robinson in the fifth inning.

Left-hander Tommy Shirley (1-4) is scheduled to pitch for the Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium on Tuesday evening against former Milwaukee southpaw Manny Parra of the Bridgeport Bluefish.  Fans may tune into Blue Ridge Cable 11 at 6:30.

NOTES:  Weber has doubled in four straight games…Robinson has two opposite field home runs at Regency Furniture Stadium this season.