stormers News

YORK’S RAQUET STYMIES ‘STORMERS

Lancaster Unable to Sweep with 2-1 Loss

Both the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution received great pitching efforts on Sunday afternoon, aided by a stiff wind blowing straight from center field, but York prevailed with a 2-1 victory in the finale of a three-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The loss kept the host Barnstormers from completing a three-game sweep for the first time this season.

Lancaster right-hander Dominic DiSabatino and York southpaw Nick Raquet took a scoreless game into the sixth inning.  DiSabatino (1-1) yielded a leadoff single up the middle to Trent Giambrone who was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Rhinesmith and eventually got to third on a two-out wild pitch.  DiSabatino then issued his only two walks of the afternoon to load the bases, and the Barnstormers summoned Bret Clarke from the bullpen.  Troy Stokes, Jr. reached Clarke for a line drive to left.  Joseph Carpenter darted in but lost control of the thigh-high grab, and both York runs scored.

DiSabatino yielded only four hits and struck out seven in his 5 2/3 innings of work.

Meanwhile Raquet (3-1) bedazzled the Barnstormers all afternoon.  The former Washington farmhand limited Lancaster to two hits over his eight innings, walking one and striking out eight.  Lancaster got one run back in the bottom of the sixth.  Trace Loehr was hit by a pitch and moved up on a bunt by Melvin Mercedes.  Raquet picked up the second out on strikes, but Kelly Dugan slammed a ball down the right  field line that hit about three feet from the top of the wall for an RBI single, trimming the lead to 2-1.

Lancaster had chances to tie in each of the final two innings.  Raquet’s throw on Jake Hoover’s leadoff bunt pulled Nellie Rodriguez off the first base bag.  After Loehr popped up a bunt, Mercedes drew a walk.  Coca’s chopper toward the middle was converted into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

In the ninth, closer Blake Rogers walked Andretty Cordero with one out.  Carpenter advanced pinch runner Chris Proctor to second with a two-out single into right, bringing Jack Conley to the plate.  Conley scorched a grounder to the backhand side of second baseman Richard Urena, who handled it cleanly and recorded the final out of the afternoon.

The Barnstormers will head to North Carolina for their next seven games, opening the trip with a doubleheader in High Point at 5:05 on Tuesday.  Lancaster is expected to send left-hander Jared Lakind (2-2) and right-hander Nile Ball (0-0) to the hill for the twin-bill.  Fans may view the action on FloBaseball, beginning at 5:00.

NOTES:  Lancaster went 3-3 on the six-game homestand…Lancaster’s starting rotation posted a 2.27 ERA over the last five games…Chris Proctor became the first Barnstormer to pinch run twice in a game…He was used as the Atlantic League designated pinch runner for Dugan in the seventh, then was used again to run for Cordero in the ninth…The Barnstormers are 0-8 in one-run games.