York Homers, Glovework Trip Up Lancaster

The York bats pounded out four homers on Saturday evening while their gloves snuffed out a few Barnstormers scoring attempts in a 9-3 victory at People’s Bank Park.

It was the Barnstormers that delivered the first blow as Rico Noel reached spot starter Joe Van Meter for a two-run opposite field shot to right before the first out of the game was picked up.  That was answered by Michael Burgess’ two-out, two-run homer into the left center field screen in the bottom of the inning.

Luis Cruz homered to lead off the second off Jarret Leverett (4-3), but Lancaster turned the tables on a leadoff blast by Blake Gailen in the third.

It seemed impossible to fathom that the Barnstormers would never score again.

The game remained 3-3 into the top of the sixth when K.C. Hobson led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch.  Sean Halton laced a single over the leaping try of first baseman Isaias Tejeda.  Hobson had to hold up to make sure the ball cleared and could not score.  However, Halton headed to second on the throw home, and the Barnstormers were in position to break the tie.  Waldis Joaquin got Lastings Milledge to tap back to the mound for the first out.  With the infield playing halfway in, Trayvon Robinson hit a smash on the left side that was flagged by shortstop Ryan Dent and turned into the second out.   Dent took a ground ball from Anderson De La Rosa deep in the hole, and Tejeda made a perfect scoop on the throw for the final out.

Carlos Triunfel belted a solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.  Lancaster looked to answer in the top of the seventh as Vladimir Frias led off with a double into the right field corner.  Blake Gailen stepped in and drilled a Luke Westphal pitch right into the lefty’s glove for the first out.  The next two batters struck out to end the inning.

York put the game away in the bottom of the seventh as Burgess doubled home Alonzo Harris, and Cruz cranked his second homer of the night, a three-run blast off R.J. Hively, to produce an 8-3 lead.

Fittingly, the game ended when Tejeda made a diving stop of a Gailen smash down the first base line.  Team Hoover made its final play of the game.

The Barnstormers and Revs meet for 1 ½ games on Sunday afternoon.  They will complete a suspended game in which the Barnstormers lead, 5-1, in the top of the fifth inning, followed by a seven-inning regularly scheduled game.  Brad Bergesen (3-5) will make the start for the Barnstormers against right-hander Curtis Partch.

NOTES:  Gailen moved to within three RBI of Jutt Hileman for the all-time Barnstormers career record…Cody Hall struck out two more batters in 1 1/3 inning relief role and has 46 for the year against four walks…In a quirk of the game, K.C. Hobson advanced three different innings on wild pitches with Sean Halton at the plate…Halton followed with a single, a walk, and a liner to third, but the Barnstormers did not score in any of those innings…Noel’s homer was only his seventh in 693 games played in the US…Former Barnstomers’ right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx improved his record to 3-0 by pitching the Texas Rangers to an 8-1 win over the New York Yankees Saturday in the Bronx.