WALK, DON’T RUN

Lancaster Draws Season High in Bases on Balls in Loss

Jeff Thompson and the Lexington bullpen escaped with 11 walks on Thursday evening as the Legends defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers, 6-3, in the rubber game of a three-game series at Wild Health Field.

It was the final game of a 12-game road trip on which the Barnstormers finished 4-8.

Thompson (2-6) walked the first three batters he faced on the night but got Andretty Cordero to pop up to shortstop on a 1-0 pitch for the first out.  A walk to Colton Shaver forced home a run, and the Barnstormers picked up a second when Anderson Feliz grounded into a 4-6 force play, but the club did not collect a hit in the inning and finished the night with just four.

The Legends came out hot.  Boog Powell greeted Cameron Gann (4-5) with a perfect drag bunt single and took second on a wild pitch.  Tillman Pugh laced a ground rule double down the right field line for the first run, and he came home when Phil Ervin singled to right center.  Ervin took third on a fly out to right by Isaias Tejeda and beat a throw home from Cordero on Montrell Marshall’s grounder to first.

Lancaster tied the game in the second.  Shawon Dunston, Jr. drew his second walk of the night, stole second and came home on a single behind second base by Melvin Mercedes.

That tie did not last long.  Gann walked two in the bottom of the second, his third and fourth walks of the night.  With two outs, Ervin found the right field corner for a two-run double and a 5-3 lead.

After Gann retired six straight, Powell opened the fifth with a double off the wall in right center and scored the game’s final run when Pugh lined a single off the fence in right.

Thompson worked five innings on 109 pitches.  He allowed the four Lancaster singles while walking eight and striking out four.  The Barnstormers managed three walks off the bullpen, two against closer Austin Adams.  Adams got Cordero to ground into a 6-4 force to end the night.

The club heads home to play 20 of the next 26 at Clipper Magazine Stadium and all 26 in Pennsylvania.  This Friday thru Sunday, the team will don alternate Lebanon Ironmasters jerseys to take on the Staten Island Ferryhawks.  Lebanon will start RHP Erik Manoah (1-1) on Friday against RHP Nick Carrell (3-3) of the Ferryhawks.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel or Froggy Valley 100.1, beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:  Cordero lost his 18-game hitting streak when playing a defensive position…Mercedes had two of the four singles…Kelly Dugan walked four times in the game while Dunston picked up three…Mercedes led the club on the road trip with 11 RBI…Scott Shuman made his first appearance in seven weeks, allowing two hits in a scoreless eighth inning.