WOW, HE DID IT AGAIN!

Zawadzki Slams ‘Stormers to 6-4 Win

Lance Zawadzki has accomplished a feat no Barnstormer has ever done before.

The middle infielder belted a grand slam for the second consecutive game late Sunday afternoon, lifting the ‘Stormers to a 6-4 victory over the New Britain Bees and a series split.

Lancaster improved to 31-31 with the win.

With the score knotted at 1-1 in the sixth, Kevin Ahrens singled off the third base bag, and Caleb Gindl followed with a double. Bees starter Shawn Haviland (2-2) retired Josh Whitaker on a shallow fly ball to left for the first out. Switch hitting slugger Josh Bell was due, and, after a meeting at the mound, the decision was made to walk the Lancaster third baseman intentionally, bringing up Zawadzki.

The reigning Atlantic League home run champion took Haviland’s first pitch down the right field line for his seventh home run in 24 games this season.

New Britain was not deterred. Steve Carrillo’s RBI double to right center in the seventh cut Lancaster’s lead to 5-2, and Jovan Rosa, who was 4-for-5 in the game, drove in the second run of the inning with a grounder to first.

Jonathan Roof opened the eighth with a double into the right field corner and scored on Jon Griffin’s two-out smash through the right side off Pete Andrelczyk.

However, Bell gave the Barnstormers some breathing room with his ninth home run of the season, a blast to right center with one out in the eighth. Andrelczyk remained in the game, striking out the side in the ninth around Rosa’s two-out ground single into left. It was the right-hander’s second save of the season.

Sean Halton homered earlier in the game for Lancaster. Tanner Peters (3-2) worked the first six innings, yielding five hits and a run, to earn the victory.

Bridgeport heads into Lancaster for a 7:00 meeting against the Barnstormers on Monday evening. Jimmy Patterson (1-1), a lefty, will make the start for the Bluefish against right-hander Mike Lee (2-2). Fans may watch the game on Blue Ridge Cable 11 or the Barnstormers’ YouTube Channel, beginning with the first pitch.

NOTES: Previously, the shortest gap between grand slams by a Barnstormer was a three-day gap for Ryan Harvey (July 26, 29, 2013)…Harvey hit a third grand slam six days later…The ‘Stormers whacked eight home runs in the series…Eleven of Halton’s last 17 hits are for extra bases…Andrelczyk struck out five in his two innings of work and has 21 runs in his last 13 2/3 innings…He has allowed only two runs in his last 22 1/3 innings…Peters fired his third straight quality start…He has allowed four runs in 19 2/3 innings over that span…Bell’s homer stretched his hitting streak to 12 games…Whitaker has hit safely in eight straight.