Weber Rewrites Record Book!

Third Baseman Has Historic Game in 14-9 Victory

For most of this season, Garrett Weber has been lurking in the background, putting together a solid campaign for the Lancaster Barnstormers while bouncing between second and third.

On Tuesday night, the Clovis, CA resident jumped into the limelight with both feet.

Weber went 5-for-5 with three homers and a double to lead the Barnstormers to a 14-9 victory over the New Britain Bees in the second game of a four-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  His 15 total bases for the night broke the existing franchise record by three.

With the win, Lancaster’s third straight, the Barnstormers remained within two games of the division leading Southern Maryland Blue Crabs with six games remaining on the first half slate.

Weber homered in the second for the game’s first run, added another solo shot to right in the fourth and a third in the seventh inning on three nearly identical pitches and swings.  He contributed a single in the midst of a seven-run fifth inning, then capped the Lancaster scoring on the club’s biggest night of the year with a double slashed into the right field corner in the eighth.

Meanwhile, K.C. Hobson got back what Michael Crouse stole from him on Monday’s now nationally famous catch over the wall in right center.  The Lancaster first baseman homered and drove in three runs on a 3-for-4 performance.

A pitcher’s duel turned into a slugfest all in the fifth inning.

With the Barnstormers up, 3-0, on solo homers, New Britain started to reach Bryan Evans (5-2).  After Evans had retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, Conor Bierfeldt reached him for a leadoff double inside the third base bag in the fifth.  Jamar Walton dropped a single into center, and Crouse singled off Weber’s glove to drive in the first run.

Some of the pressure was taken off the inning when Jordan Hinshaw struck out, and Anderson De La Rosa got Crouse on the back end of a double steal.  However, Ivan Villaescusa kept the inning alive with a single to center to cut the lead to 3-2.  Yusuke Kajimoto also singled to center, and Jake McGuiggan tied the game with a bloop double down the right field line.  Jovan Rosa chipped a single into shallow left center to drive home two more, and the Barnstormers found themselves on the short end of a 5-3 score.

Lancaster roared back.  Newcomer Drew Doty homered for the first hit of his pro career.  Rico Noel was hit by a pitch and stole second.  Jonathan Pettibone (1-3) struck out Lastings Milledge, but Hobson followed with an RBI single to tie the game.  Pettibone hit Sean Halton and exited for Brandon Shimo.  Weber’s single loaded the bases.  Trayvon Robinson sliced a double down the left field line to score two, and De La Rosa crunched a two-run double over Bierfeldt’s head for a 9-5 lead.  A seventh run scored on an error.

New Britain fought back on a three-run homer by Hinshaw in the sixth, but Weber and Hobson put it away, combining for the remaining four Lancaster RBI on the night.

The series continues on Wednesday with Lancaster throwing Rommie Lewis (3-5) against Kyle Simon (4-4).  The game will be carried live on Blue Ridge Cable 11, beginning at 6:30.

NOTES:  Weber became the third Barnstormer to homer three times in a game…The other two (Bryant Nelson and Terry Tiffee) were both switch hitters…Weber is exclusively right-handed…In the last ten games, Hobson has seven homers and 15 RBI…Noel stole three bases in a game for the third time as a Barnstormer…De La Rosa is 5-for-8 with three doubles in the series…Lancaster won for the sixth consecutive time with Evans on the hill…The Barnstormers reactivated left-hander Tommy Shirley prior to the game.