Down, 4-3, entering the bottom of the ninth, the Barnstormers got a leadoff single from Aaron Herr, playing despite a twisted ankle.  Toshihisa Nishi ran for Herr and stayed at first as Reggie Taylor popped out.  Mulhern then took Joe Esposito (1-2) to the base of the left field wall for an RBI double to tie the game.  Vic Gutierrez was hit by a pitch, filling in first.  Joe Gaetti flied to right for the second out of the inning.

Esposito nearly sent the game to a tenth inning.  Josh Johnson hit a slow bounder to the left side of the infield.  Shortstop Erick Monzon, screened initially, had to come in and to his right to field the ball.  His off-balance throw to first had Johnson beaten, but it was ruled that first baseman Ray Navarrete came off the bag as Johnson reached safely.  Turner followed with a walk on five pitches, pushing Mulhern across with the game winner.

Long Island broke out to a 3-0 lead off Josh Hall in the third.  Dustan Mohr led off with a double into the right field corner and scored on Matt Cavagnaro’s liner into right center.  Juan Francia advanced Cavagnaro with a bunt, and Cavagnaro swiped third before motoring home on Erick Monzon’s single to left.  A wild pitch moved Monzon into scoring position, and Navarrete singled him to third.  John Rodriguez got the third run home with a fielder’s choice grounder.

A two-run homer by Reggie Taylor in the bottom of the third off Sidney Ponson brought Lancaster back to within one, and Mulhern tied the game with a solo shot to right center in the fifth.

Long Island did not have another threat against Hall, who retired 15 of 16 in one stretch, but they did take the lead back on Monzon’s fourth homer of the season, a solo blast to right center with one out in the eighth.  Hall yielded only six hits in the game while walking one and striking out three in the longest performance by a Barnstormers pitcher this season.

Meanwhile, Lancaster had numerous opportunities, including the seventh when the loaded the bases on a single by Taylor and walks to Mulhern and Gaetti.  Johnson grounded into a double play, stranding two of the 15 mean Lancaster marooned in the game.

Jason Simontacchi (1-3) worked a perfect ninth for the Barnstormers to earn the win.

The two teams meet for the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:30.  Ben Fritz (0-2) will make the start for the Barnstormers against Randy Leek (7-1).  Tickets are available through www.lancasterbarnstormer.com or by stopping into the box office.  It is a Lancaster General Health Family Fun Day.  Families can play catch on the field prior to the game, and kids will have the opportunity to run the bases afterward.  Fans will also have the chance to get autographs from some of their favorite Barnstormers players prior to the start of the afternoon’s play.

NOTES:  Perry was hit by a pitch and walked, extending his on-base streak to 26…He lost his hitting streak at nine…Gutierrez and Mulhern have each hit safely in six straight…Gutierrez needs one more hit to move into a tie for 10th place all-time in Atlantic League history…It was Lancaster’s second win this season when trailing after eight innings…The other came at Camden on May 10…Monzon is 6-for-9 this series and 10-for-17 against the Barnstormers overall in 2010.

Lloyd Turner led off the game for the ‘Stormers with a single up the middle and then moved into scoring position on a groundout. With two down, Jason Perry drove a single down the left field line to score Turner.

The ‘Fish jumped in front of Lancaster in the bottom of the first when Brandon Chaves began the comeback with a one out, line drive single over the shortstop’s head. Steve Moss followed with a base hit of his own, and Danny Putnam drew a walk to load the bases. With two outs, Luis Lopez roped a single into left field to bring home Chaves and Moss.

A fifth inning push from the Barnstormers secured the team with the lead for two innings. Bryant Nelson began the frame by reaching first on an error committed by Bridgeport’s shortstop Brandon Chaves, and Reggie Taylor pushed Nelson to third on a double lifted to the right field wall. Nelson moved on to score on a groundout to the right side. Then with one out in the inning, Salomon Manriquez slapped a single into right, allowing Taylor to mark Lancaster’s fourth run of the game.

The key to Bridgeport’s success came in the eighth as they secured the lead, and the win. Wily Mo Pena came up big for the ‘Fish when he stepped up to the plate with one out and drilled a ball to the right side for a single. Pena hurried his way home from first base to tie the game on a Lopez double rocketed into center field, his third RBI of the night. The game winning run came on the heroic efforts of Colin Roberson, who sent a triple through the right-center field gap to bring home Lopez. Roberson then scored on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to two runs.

Kevin Mannix started his first game at home for Bridgeport, giving up four runs (three earned) resting on eight hits. The right-hander walked one and fanned three through five innings of work. Jorge Perez (1-0) earned the win after pitching the eighth inning, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out one. The save was awarded to Jorge Julio, who entered in the ninth, allowed only one hit, and struck out two to seal the victory.

Lancaster’s Ben Fritz allowed the ‘Fish to cross the plate twice off five hits and one walk. The Barnstormer struck out an impressive eight batters.  The loss was given to Jason Simontacchi (0-3) in the eighth inning when he gave up three Bridgeport runs on three hits.

The Bluefish now take to the road for eight games beginning tomorrow night in Lancaster. Bridgeport visits the Barnstormers for a two-game series and then travels to Camden for a three-game set with the Riversharks. The final three games of the road trip will take place in York against the Revolution. Fans can keep tabs on their hometown team throughout the road trip by tuning into the Bluefish Broadcast Network. Tomorrow’s contest against Lancaster begins at 6:30 p.m., with the broadcast beginning at 6:00 p.m., exclusively on www.bridgeportbluefish.com. Bluefish radio voice Perry Miles will have the call of all the action.

The Bluefish return home on Friday, June 11, to open a weekend series against the Somerset Patriots. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and gates open at 6:05 p.m. Tickets are still available by visiting the Harbor Yard box office, calling (203)-345-4800, or by visiting www.bridgeportbluefish.com and clicking the tickets icon.

The Bridgeport Bluefish Professional Baseball Club, a charter team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, plays its home games at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard, located off Exit 27 of I-95 on the corner of Broad Street and South Frontage Road in Bridgeport. 2010 season tickets, mini-plans, group outings and individual tickets are available by calling 203-345-4800. Visit the Bluefish online at www.bridgeportbluefish.com.

The Barnstormers took control of the game in the second inning on a series of well-placed hits. With one out, Joe Gaetti, Vic Gutierrez and Ryan Mulhern collected three consecutive singles to the left side to load the bases. Lloyd Turner followed with a double to right field, bringing home Gaetti and Toshihisa Nishi, who came in to the game to replace Gutierrez. The final run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly hit to center field by Bryant Nelson, scoring Mulhern.

Adam Greenberg set the tone for the third inning with a leadoff single to left field. Brandon Chaves followed with a double in the left field gap, and then Steve Moss roped a single of his own toward the left fielder to bring home Greenberg. A fielder’s choice from Danny Putnam allowed Chaves to cross the plate and with two outs in the frame, Colin Roberson sent a base hit up the middle to score Putnam.

Bridgeport tied the game at five in the fourth inning when Colin Roberson hustled home on a wild pitch thrown by Lancaster’s starter Josh Hall.

The sixth frame became the deciding factor of the game when Lancaster plated two more runs to jump ahead of the ‘Fish. Turner and Nelson began the rally with back-to-back singles up the middle to bring Reggie Taylor to the plate. Taylor brought home Turner, the go ahead run, on a fielder’s choice. Nelson crossed the plate as an insurance run when the Bluefish turned a double play on a ball hit by Salomon Manriquez.

Marc Kaiser (2-3) worked through five innings for the ‘Fish, giving up seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits. The righty walked two and punched out three.

Hall (3-2) allowed five earned runs on ten hits and walked three batters through six frames. Scott Patterson pieced his way through the ninth to earn his eighth save of the season for Lancaster.

The Bridgeport Bluefish finish their short series with the Lancaster Barnstormers tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Bridgeport starter Kevin Mannix will be opposed by Lancaster’s Ben Fritz. The Ballpark at Harbor Yard gates open at 6:05 p.m. for Kids Eat Free Tuesday, presented by TD Bank. All kids (12 and under) will receive a free hot dog, bag of chips and 12 oz. fountain soda or chocolate milk. Fans unable to make it to The Ballpark can listen to the game live on www.bridgeportbluefish.com. Tickets are still available by visiting The Harbor Yard box office, calling (203)-345-4800, or by visiting www.bridgeportbluefish.com and clicking the tickets icon.

The Bridgeport Bluefish Professional Baseball Club, a charter team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, plays its home games at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard, located off Exit 27 of I-95 on the corner of Broad Street and South Frontage Road in Bridgeport. 2010 season tickets, mini-plans, group outings and individual tickets are available by calling 203-345-4800. Visit the Bluefish online at www.bridgeportbluefish.com.

The Bears jumped on top for the second straight game.  Kennard Jones’ one-out double, his twelfth on the season, started a string of five straight reaching base successfully in the first.  Fernando Cortez singled in Jones and was followed three batters later by a John-Ford Griffin RBI double to make it 2-0.

Lancaster battled back with a pair of runs in the home second.  A RBI walk with the bases loaded for Lloyd Turner and a RBI single off the bat of Vic Gutierrez tied the game up at 2.

Newark’s bats didn’t stay quiet against Neal Musser as they erupted for three straight hits in the third. Griffin picked up his fourth RBI of the game blasting a three-run homer to the right-centerfield pool of bumper boats and the Bears were up 5-2.  The Bears added four more in the fourth on a Scott Spiezio two-run double followed by a Daryle Ward two-run shot off the picnic tents in right and the lead ballooned to seven runs at 9-2.

The ‘Stormers cracked the scoreboard again in the fifth off Hector Carrasco.  Two errors plated Gutierrez, who reached on a one-out walk.  Salomon Manriquez plated a run with a RBI single to pull the hosts within five runs at 9-5.  The rains came down in the visitors seventh with two on and one out and the game was called.

Carrasco (1-3) registered the victory, firing five innings, allowing four runs, three earned on five hits, with four strikeouts and six walks.  Musser (1-1) was dealt the loss, surrendering nine runs and scattering 11 hits, with just a strikeout and walk in four innings of work.

Newark returns to Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Friday, May 28 and welcomes the Somerset Patriots.  Game time is set for 7:05 p.m., with the gates of Riverfront Stadium opening at 6:05 p.m.  Tickets for the game and all upcoming Bears games are available at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium box office, by calling (973) 848-1000 ext. 212, or by logging onto www.newarkbears.com and clicking on the tickets icon on the top of the page.

####

GAME DATE: 05/27/2010
Newark Bears  9 AT Lancaster Barnstormers  4

                                 YTD                                   YTD
Newark             AB  R  H BI   AVG  Lancaster          AB  R  H BI   AVG

N.Logan CF          3  1  0  0  .248  L.Turner CF         2  0  1  1  .216
K.Jones RF          4  2  2  0  .372  V.Gutierrez 2B      3  1  1  1  .216
F.Cortez SS         4  0  2  1  .350  J.Perry RF          2  1  1  0  .310

S.Spiezio DH        3  3  2  2  .309  A.Herr 3B           2  0  0  0  .291
D.Ward 1B           4  2  3  2  .288  S.Manriquez DH      2  1  1  1  .200
J.Griffin LF        4  1  2  4  .247  B.Nelson SS         3  1  1  0  .261

T.Olivares 2B       3  0  0  0  .000  R.Mulhern 1B        3  0  0  0  .167
S.Shults 3B         4  0  2  0  .206  J.Gaetti LF         3  0  1  0  .157
T.Pennino C         3  0  0  0  .300  J.Johnson C         2  0  0  0  .213

Newark               2 0 3   4 0 0   0 -  9 12  2
Lancaster            0 2 0   0 2 0   0 -  4  6  1
2B--K.Jones (12), F.Cortez (4), S.Spiezio (6), J.Griffin (4). HR--D.Ward

(7), J.Griffin (4). RBI--F.Cortez (12), S.Spiezio  2 (19), D.Ward  2 (31),
J.Griffin  4 (16), L.Turner (14), V.Gutierrez (5), S.Manriquez (1).
HP--T.Olivares (1), A.Herr (1). E--T.Olivares (2), S.Shults (5), R.Mulhern

(1).
LOB--Newark 5, Lancaster 7.
                                                                YTD
                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR     ERA
 Newark
H.Carrasco (W,1-3)              5.0   5   4   3   6   4   0    8.70

M.Mehlich                       1.0   1   0   0   0   1   0    5.00
 Lancaster
N.Musser (L,1-1)                4.0  11   9   9   1   1   2    5.94
N.Maness                        2.1   2   0   0   1   3   0    9.82

WP--M.Mehlich (1). HB--H.Carrasco (2), N.Maness (3). SO--N.Logan,
J.Griffin, T.Olivares, T.Pennino, A.Herr, R.Mulhern 2, J.Gaetti, J.Johnson.
BB--N.Logan, S.Spiezio, L.Turner 2, V.Gutierrez, J.Perry, S.Manriquez,

J.Johnson. BF--H.Carrasco 25 (101), M.Mehlich 4 (43), N.Musser 24 (73),
N.Maness 11 (80). P-S--H.Carrasco 105-54, M.Mehlich 15-10, N.Musser 85-56,
N.Maness 41-23.
T--2:19.  A--4245

David Housel drove in four runs, including two on a home run, and Bryan Sabatella slugged a grand slam in the nightcap as the Barnstormers captured the nightcap, 11-5. Earlier, Aaron Herr’s two-run homer and Ryan Mulhern’s two-run single supported four Barnstormers pitchers in a 5-1 opening game victory in front of 6,725 at the ballpark on Prince Street.

Lancaster jumped on Chris Shaver (1-2) early in the second game. Lloyd Turner led off with a triple to left center and scored on Housel’s single into right field. Shaver struck out L.J. Biernbaum, then walked Michael Woods before leaving the game with an injury. Herr greeted reliever Byron Batson with an RBI single into center as Lancaster grabbed the 2-0 edge.

Camden scored an unearned run off Ben Fritz (2-1) in the second, but a double play, one of three turned by the Barnstormers in the nightcap, helped Fritz escape further damage. The Barnstormers came right back with three messy runs in the bottom of the inning. Housel drove in one with a sacrifice fly, and a second crossed on a single to center by Biernbaum before a throwing error allowed Biernbaum to score for a 5-1 lead.

The Riversharks again challenged Fritz’ lead in the third with RBI singles off the bats of Jon Knott and Brett Bonvechio. However, Lancaster was able to salt the game away against former Barnstormer Derek Barrows. Housel cranked the two-run homer in the fourth, and Sabatella contributed the grand slam, his first homer of the season, in the fifth as Lancaster pulled away.

In the opener, Mulhern’s single to right scored Herr and Danny Bravo in the second, giving Lancaster a 2-0 lead off Dewon Brazelton (2-1). Herr’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Lancaster a 4-1 lead, and Turner capped the scoring with an RBI double in the sixth.

Camden’s only marker in the first game came on a home run to right by Vito Chiaravalloti off Ross Peeples in the fifth inning. Ricardo Gomez (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win. Starter Zack Parker retired 12 of 13 batters in four innings but came out of the contest as a precaution to prevent further damage to his injured middle finger.

The Barnstormers and Riversharks wrap up the series with a 6:05 start on Sunday on Brides and Bases Day at Clipper Magazine Stadium. Eric Junge (0-1) will make a spot start for Lancaster against Camden’s Tom Davey (5-0). The Barnstormers will hit the road for a week following Sunday’s game against Camden.

NOTES: Danny Bravo walked in the first game and singled in the second, extending his streak to 23 games on base…Herr has now driven in 13 runs in the last five games and 26 in the last 21…He was also hit by a pitch three times in the doubleheader…Housel has four homers in 27 at bats at Clipper Magazine Stadium…Sabatella reached base on four of six trips in the doubleheader and has now been aboard 14 of his last 22 plate appearances overall…Lloyd Turner was successful on his 13th straight steal attempt in game one…Sabatella retook the team lead with his 14th of the year in the nightcap.

More information as it comes in.

Jason Scobie’s emergency relief effort shut down the Newark Bears for four innings, and the Barnstormers manufactured two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as Lancaster took a 3-1 decision Wednesday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium to keep the homestand record perfect at 6-0.

With the win, the Barnstormers climbed to within three games of Somerset, which took over first place on Wednesday.

Scobie (1-1) had to take over for Zack Parker to open the fourth inning after the left-hander suffered a recurrence of blisters on his left hand. The former Mets prospect gave his second strong performance of the homestand, allowing only four singles while walking none and striking out three. Two runners reached second base during his stint, both with two outs.

Newark grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on the only unearned run allowed by the Barnstormers in the six games. Ramon Nivar reached second with a double when his sharp grounder to the hole at short deflected off the glove of a diving Lloyd Turner and rolled to the left field line. Jay Gibbons hit a busted bat bouncer to first baseman Bryan Sabatella whose throw went behind Parker and into the Lancaster dugout, scoring Nivar.

Bobby Brownlie, who threw a shutout against Lancaster on May 12, escaped a first inning threat but was nicked in the third. Danny Bravo blooped a double down the left field line. Michael Woods beat out an infield hit to third base with Bravo holding at second. L.J. Biernbaum ripped a double into the right field corner which scored Bravo to tie the game at 1-1, but Woods was cut down on a perfectly executed 9-3-2 relay.

Lancaster finally broke the deadlock against former Barnstormer lefty Steve Kent (0-1) in the seventh. Michael Campbell led off with a single muscled over the head of first baseman Salomon Manriquez. Sabatella laid down a bunt toward the mound. Kent made an attempt at a force play and skipped the ball into center field, allowing Campbell to reach second safely. Turner moved the runners ahead with another bunt. Campbell scored on Kent’s wild pitch, and Bravo drove Sabatella home with a single into left center on a 3-0 pitch.

Without the services of closer Ryan Cullen, who had worked the three previous games, Lancaster used Joe D’Alessandro and Ross Peeples to get through the eighth inning. Following a leadoff single by Tike Redman, D’Alessandro stuck out Nivar and retired Gibbons on a pop to shortstop. Peeples was brought in to force Carl Everett to bat right-handed and struck him out swinging to end the inning.

Jon Huber allowed a walk and a single in the ninth but got Alberto Castillo to ground into a double play, notching his second save.

The Barnstormers head to Camden and Somerset on a six-game road trip before returning home to face Camden on Thursday, June 4.

NOTES: Biernbaum’s double in the third inning produced his 13th tying or go-ahead RBI this season…Lancaster’s bullpen has compiled a 1.24 ERA (4 ER/29.0 IP) in the last eight games…The Barnstormers have won seven in a row at home and 12 of the last 13…They have won 14 of their last 15 in Pennsylvania…Tom Cochran (3-2) will pitch against Brian Lawrence (3-2) Friday evening in Camden…Game time is 7:05.

In figurative terms, the skies became even brighter for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Aaron Herr doubled twice and drove in three runs, and L.J. Biernbaum added three RBI of his own as the Barnstormers won their fifth straight game, 9-5, over the Newark Bears early Tuesday in Lancaster.

With the victory, the Barnstormers stand only 3 ½ games out of first place in the Freedom Division, pending the outcome of Tuesday evening’s Somerset at Bridgeport game.

Lancaster caught a break in the first inning when third baseman Mike Sandoval misplayed a potential double play ground ball from Biernbaum as Lloyd Turner scored, and Herr followed with a two-run double into the gap in right center, giving the Barnstormers a 3-0 lead.

Newark bounced back with a two-run single by Michael Hernandez in the second and Carl Everett’s two-run homer into the Home Run Harbor screen in right center for a 4-3 lead through three innings, but the Barnstormers were able to attack a tiring Ryan Bukvich in the fourth.

Bukvich smoked Turner in the back with one out in the inning and walked Danny Bravo. He struck out Michael Woods for the second out, but Biernbaum got to him for a long double into the gap in left center, scoring both runners. Herr doubled off the glove of third baseman Andres Perez for a 6-4 lead, and Jed Morris continued the assault with a double ripped down the right field line, greeting reliever Tim Bittner.

Given a second lead, starter Ben Fritz (1-1) became stingy before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Ross Peeples got Fritz out of a two-out jam in the sixth, but Peeples was touched for a run in the seventh. Everett doubled down the third base line to start the inning and one out later scored from second as Woods crashed into the fence in right center.

Jon Huber held the lead through the eighth inning, striking out Ramon Nivar and Jay Gibbons looking after walks to Alberto Castillo and Perez. Bryan Sabatella salted the game away with a two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth.

Lancaster will try to complete a perfect homestand Wednesday evening at 7:00 as Zack Parker (0-1) takes the hill against Bobby Brownlie (2-2).

NOTES: Twelve of Biernbaum’s 22 RBI have either tied the game or given the Barnstormers a lead…Herr has 12 RBI in the last 12 games…Lancaster’s relievers have allowed only four runs in 23 innings in the last week…The Barnstormers committed their first error in 50 2/3 innings when Michael Campbell was guilty of a bobble in left on the Hernandez single to left in the second inning…Danny Bravo tied a club record by walking four times in the game…He scored three runs.

Two days after homering from each side of the plate against Bridgeport, the Lancaster utility player belted a walkoff home run to right field in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Barnstormers a 4-3 victory over the Newark Bears.

Housel had entered the game as a pinch runner for Adam Shorsher in the eighth inning and stayed in to play left field. With both clubs continually failing to take advantage of run scoring chances in the later innings, Housel was given the opportunity to play the hero. It wasn’t looking promising as the switch hitter from New Jersey fell behind Oneli Perez (3-2) at 0-2, but he came through taking the two-strike offering over the picnic tents in right field for his third homer in three games. A mob awaited Housel at home plate as the Barnstormers ended a six-game losing streak against the Bears and climbed to within 4 ½ of the division leaders.

The win was also Lancaster’s fifth straight and tenth in the last 11 tries at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Prior to Housel’s deciding blast, the game was an exercise in futility for both offenses as a parade of pitchers kept getting off the hook.

Newark grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second against Eric Ackerman. Salomon Manriquez doubled to left center with one out and advanced on a single to left by Mike Sandoval. Michael Hernandez doubled home one run, and Sandoval scored on a ground out by Alberto Castillo.

Lancaster answered with three in the bottom of the inning. Jed Morris belted a one-out solo homer, his second of the homestand. Ryan Mulhern followed with a single to the hole at shortstop and stole second. Following a ground out, Rodney Medina tied with game with a lined single into center field. He would also steal second and then scored as Lloyd Turner tripled to the alley in right center.

Eric Ackerman held the lead until the sixth inning, thanks in part to a perfect relay that gunned down Ramon Nivar at the plate in the third inning. Newark tied the game in the sixth on a single by Manriquez, a wild pitch, and Sandoval’s double to left.

Lancaster left the bases loaded in the eighth as Danny Bravo lined to right fielder Jay Gibbons to end the threat. They did likewise in the ninth. Michael Woods led off with a double. L.J. Biernbaum was intentionally walked. The duo pulled off a double steal as Aaron Herr struck out. Perez put Jed Morris on first, then proceeded to strike out Ryan Mulhern on a 3-2 pitch and Bryan Sabatella on three straight pitches to send the game to extra innings.

The teams combined to leave 27 runners on base overall.

Ryan Cullen (2-2) worked two shutout innings to record the win.

Lancaster continues the homestand against the Newark Bears on Tuesday with Baseball in Education Day at 11:05. Ben Fritz and Ryan Bukvich are the scheduled pitchers.

NOTES: Lancaster has three one-run wins on the homestand…Housel’s season high in homers is nine, set in 2007 with the Road Warriors…Turner’s triple was his first of the year after setting the league record with 13 in 2008…Woods has hit safely in seven straight games and is hitting .387 since coming to Lancaster.

The Barnstormers first baseman singled to center with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon as Lancaster completed a sweep of a three-game series with a 4-3 win over Bridgeport at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Mulhern’s second walkoff hit of the season gave Lancaster its ninth win in the last 10 games on Prince St.

Former Barnstormers lefty Shane Youman (0-1) struggled in his return to Lancaster. He walked L.J. Biernbaum leading off the bottom of the ninth, then allowed a ringing single to center by Aaron Herr. Jed Morris walked while attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt, loading the bags.

Bridgeport manager Tommy John brought on right-hander Casey Hoorelbeke to work to Mulhern, who drilled the one strike pitch beyond shortstop Ed Rogers for the game winner.

The teams exchanged home runs in the first. Jay Caligiuri took Jason Scobie out of the park for his second homer of the season, staking Bridgeport to an early 1-0 advantage. Biernbaum made sure that the lead did not last long, slugging his seventh of the year off Esteban Yan with Danny Bravo aboard in the bottom of the inning.

Scobie and Yan took over the game. Scobie, making a spot start, lasted through five innings allowing only three hits and a run while walking two and striking out two. Yan allowed another run on singles by Michael Woods, Biernbaum and Mulhern in the fourth. After Amadeo Zazueta reached on an infield single to start the fifth, the 33-year old right-hander with nearly 500 Major League appearances under his belt, retired the final 12 batters he faced in the game.

Bridgeport tied the game in the seventh. Luis Rodriguez lined a homer barely fair down the right field line, cutting the Lancaster edge to 3-2. Adam Greenberg singled with one out and advanced to second on a balk charged to Ross Peeples. One out later, Luis Lopez singled to left off Joe D’Alessandro, tying the score.

Ryan Cullen (1-2) worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win.

The Barnstormers remain home to open a three-game series against the Newark Bears on Memorial Day afternoon. It’s an All-American afternoon, and economical to boot. Hot dogs are just $1.00 all afternoon. Kids 12 and under will receive a voucher for a free kids meal. Game time is 1:30.

NOTES: Biernbaum was 2-for-3 with a walk in his first game back in action after being sidelined for two days with a neck injury…At least temporarily, Biernbaum tied Southern Maryland’s Jeremy Owens for the league home run lead…Woods hit safely for the sixth straight game…Herr has hit in five in a row and nine of ten (16-for-37, .432)…Barnstormers starters posted a composite 1.86 ERA in the series…Eric Ackerman (2-1) will start on Monday against Edgar Martinez (1-1).

Housel became the first Barnstormer in club history to homer from each side of the plate in the same game, leading Lancaster to a 10-2 win over the Bridgeport Bluefish Saturday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The win was Lancaster’s eighth in the last nine games at home and gives the Barnstormers the opportunity for a series sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Housel’s two home runs were part of a five-homer splurge for the Barnstormers. All were hit to the short porch in right field.

The first indication that a wind blowing toward right field could make the night interesting came without ultimate effect on the game. Lloyd Turner hit a foul pop up near the first base dugout, and first baseman Jay Caligiuri overran the play and dropped it. Corey Lee (1-3) struck out Turner, but fly balls to the right side would continue to be the theme of the first inning.

Housel lofted the next one. Right fielder Todd Davison danced back toward the big green wall, only to have the fly ball hit up on the front of the deck as Lancaster grabbed a 1-0 lead. Michael Woods chipped a fly ball to right which was dropped by Davison, and Aaron Herr followed with an RBI double on a fly ball that landed on the warning track. Danny Bravo singled to left, and Ryan Mulhern skied a three-run homer to right for a 5-0 lead.

Lee allowed three more runs in the fifth, again deserving better. Michael Woods reached on a bloop hit, again to right field. He broke for second on Lee’s first move. It appeared that the Bluefish had Woods, but Caligiuri’s throw to second base wound up in left field, allowing the runner to escape. Herr drilled an RBI single to left for a 6-1 lead, and Jed Morris hit a two-run homer later in the inning.

Housel and Woods hit back-to-back long balls in the sixth inning off reliever Andy Weimer, the first pair of consecutive homers for Lancaster this season.

Tom Cochran (3-2) went eight strong innings for the Barnstormers, allowing six hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out five. Twice, the 26-year old lefty allowed back-to-back singles to start an inning. Both times, the next batter grounded into a double play. Only Wilson Batista, with a double to left center in the second, drove in a run.

The Barnstormers and Bridgeport wrap up the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:30. Kids 12 and under will receive a voucher for a free kids meal (hot dog, chips, soft drink)…Families can play catch on the field before the game, and the kids will run the bases after the game ends…In a late switch, Jason Scobie (0-1) will make a spot start on Sunday afternoon. Esteban Yan (2-1) will counter for Bridgeport.

NOTES: Herr is 8-for-11 in the last three games…Woods has hit safely in five straight…Morris had his eighth multi-hit game…After committing 16 errors in nine games, the Barnstormers have played three straight without a defensive miscue.

Michael Woods singled home Lloyd Turner with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, pushing the Barnstormers to a 2-1 victory over the Bridgeport Bluefish in front of 5,732 Friday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The victory was the seventh in the last eight games for the Barnstormers in front of the home crowd.

Turner walked after a lengthy battle with Rick Asadoorian (0-1) to start the eighth inning. A sacrifice bunt by Michael Campbell moved Turner to third, but the key to the inning was a wild pitch with Woods at the plate that moved Turner to third. Bluefish manager Tommy John brought his infielders in, and Woods bounced a single up the middle to snap the 1-1 tie.

It was a night where both starters deserved a win. Bridgeport’s Kyle Jackson yielded a home run to Aaron Herr, the first of the year for the ‘Stormer third baseman in the fifth inning. Otherwise, he allowed only three singles and did not have a runner in scoring position behind him until the Lancaster seventh.

Trey Hodges scattered four singles over the first six innings. More importantly, the Barnstormers right-hander did not walk anyone during his stint in the game. The win slipped through his hands in the seventh when Charlie Lisk chased him with a one-out double down the third base line. Adam Greenberg roped a single off the wall in right against Ross Peeples to tie the game. Peeples got out of the inning as Tyrone Pendergrass grounded into a double play.

Jon Huber (1-0) retired six of seven batters over the final two innings to notch the win for Lancaster.

The Barnstormers continue the homestand with a 6:30 start on Saturday evening. Tom Cochran (2-2) will take the hill for Lancaster against Bridgeport’s Corey Lee (1-2). The first 1,000 fans coming into the stadium will receive an eco-friendly tote bag, courtesy of Full Circle Recycling. Fireworks will follow the game.

NOTES: Herr is 5-for-7 in the last two games and 12-for-29 in the last eight…Woods is 7-for-17 since coming back to Lancaster and has hit safely in the last four games…Hodges has allowed only five runs in 17.1 innings over his last three starts.

				BOX SCORE 1

              The Automated ScoreBook
                    Southern Maryland at Lancaster
         May 16, 2009 at Lancaster, PA (Clipper Mag. Stadium)

Southern Maryland 7 (12-8)           Lancaster 5 (8-13)

                  AB  R  H RBI                         AB  R  H RBI

Shanks lf          3  0  0  1        Turner ss          4  1  0  0
Just 2b            2  2  0  0        Bravo 2b           5  1  3  0
Garcia ss          5  1  2  2        Mulhern dh         4  1  1  1
Osborn 3b          5  0  1  2        Housel pr          0  0  0  0
Crozier 1b         5  1  1  1        Biernbaum rf       4  1  1  0
Owens cf           4  0  2  0        Herr 3b            4  0  2  1
Burkhart dh        3  1  1  0        Morris c           4  1  0  0
Conroy rf          2  1  2  0        Woods lf           4  0  3  1
Jeroloman rf       1  0  0  0        Medina cf          3  0  2  2
Martinez c         3  1  1  0        Sabatella 1b       4  0  1  0
Bicondoa p         0  0  0  0        Fritz p            0  0  0  0
Hensley p          0  0  0  0        D'Alessandro p     0  0  0  0
Warden p           0  0  0  0        Scobie p           0  0  0  0
Schweitzer p       0  0  0  0        Peeples p          0  0  0  0
James p            0  0  0  0        Ovalles p          0  0  0  0 

Totals......      33  7 10  6        Totals......      36  5 13  5 

Score by innings:                      R  H  E
----------------------------------------------
Southern Maryland     001 100 203   -  7 10  1
Lancaster             000 003 011   -  5 13  1
----------------------------------------------
E - Shanks; Biernbaum. DP - Blue Crabs 3. LOB - Blue Crabs 8; Barnstormers
10. 2B - Garcia; Owens. HR - Crozier(4). SH - Shanks; Martinez. SF -
Shanks; Mulhern; Herr. SB - Conroy; Turner; Biernbaum. CS - Owens. 

                       IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF Fly Gnd
SO. MARYLAND
Bicondoa              7.0 10  3  3  2  2   0  0  0  0   27 30   6 10
Hensley W 2-1         1.0  2  1  1  1  3   0  0  0  0    5  6   0  0
Warden                0.0  1  1  1  1  0   0  0  0  0    1  3   0  0
Schweitzer            0.1  0  0  0  0  1   0  0  0  0    1  1   0  0
James S,2             0.2  0  0  0  0  1   0  0  0  0    2  2   0  1

LANCASTER
Fritz                 6.0  4  2  2  2  3   0  0  1  0   20 25   8  7
D'Alessandro          0.2  0  2  2  2  1   0  0  0  0    2  4   1  0
Scobie                1.0  3  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0    5  5   0  2
Peeples               0.1  0  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0    1  1   1  0
Ovalles L 0-2         1.0  3  3  2  1  0   0  0  0  0    5  7   1  2

HBP - by Fritz (Just).
Strikeouts - Garcia; Osborn; Owens; Martinez; Turner; Biernbaum; Herr;
Morris 2; Medina; Sabatella. Walks - Just 2; Owens; Burkhart; Conroy;
Turner; Biernbaum; Morris; Medina.
Umpires - Home:Brian DeBrower  1st:Kareh Valentin  3rd:Bob Bainter
Time: 3:28   Attendance: 6080; Completion of suspended game
Warden faced 3 batters in the 9th.

============================================================================
				BOX SCORE 2
============================================================================
The Automated ScoreBook
                    Southern Maryland at Lancaster
         May 17, 2009 at Lancaster, PA (Clipper Mag. Stadium)

Southern Maryland 2 (12-9)           Lancaster 4 (9-13)

                  AB  R  H RBI                         AB  R  H RBI

Giannotti lf       4  0  1  0        Turner ss          4  1  2  0
Polanco 2b         4  1  2  1        Bravo 2b           3  1  0  0
Shanks ph          1  0  0  0        Woods lf           3  1  1  1
Garcia ss          4  0  1  0        Biernbaum rf       4  1  1  0
Osborn dh          3  0  0  0        Herr 3b            3  0  1  3
Crozier 1b         4  0  1  0        Mulhern dh         4  0  0  0
Owens cf           3  0  0  0        Shorsher c         3  0  1  0
Burkhart c         4  1  1  0        Campbell cf        3  0  1  0
Doetsch rf         3  0  0  0        Sabatella 1b       3  0  0  0
Jeroloman 3b       3  0  0  0        Hodges p           0  0  0  0
Gannon p           0  0  0  0        Peeples p          0  0  0  0
                                     Huber p            0  0  0  0
                                     Cullen p           0  0  0  0 

Totals......      33  2  6  1        Totals......      30  4  7  4 

Score by innings:                      R  H  E
----------------------------------------------
Southern Maryland     000 010 010   -  2  6  0
Lancaster             103 000 00    -  4  7  2
----------------------------------------------

E - Turner; Bravo. DP - Blue Crabs 1. LOB - Blue Crabs 9; Barnstormers 5.
2B - Turner 2; Herr; Shorsher. 

                       IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF Fly Gnd
SO. MARYLAND
Gannon L 2-3          8.0  7  4  4  3  2   0  0  0  0   30 33  13  8

LANCASTER
Hodges W 1-3          5.0  2  1  1  3  1   0  0  2  0   16 21   8  5
Peeples               2.0  1  0  0  0  2   0  0  0  0    7  7   3  1
Huber                 1.0  2  1  0  0  2   0  0  0  0    5  5   0  1
Cullen S,4            1.0  1  0  0  0  1   0  0  0  0    5  5   0  2

HBP - by Hodges (Osborn); by Hodges (Doetsch). 

Strikeouts - Shanks; Crozier; Owens; Burkhart; Doetsch; Jeroloman; Mulhern;
Sabatella. Walks - Giannotti; Owens; Jeroloman; Bravo; Woods; Herr. 

Umpires - Home:Kareh Valentin  1st:Bob Bainter  3rd:Bill Reuter
Time: 2:43   Attendance: 4599

Game Notes:
Monday probables: Tom Cochran (2-1) at Kip Bouknight (2-1)

The game was suspended in the bottom of the ninth with Southern Maryland leading the Barnstormers, 7-5. Play will resume on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 and will be followed by the regularly scheduled nine inning contest.

Southern Maryland had grabbed a 7-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning on a two-run single by Pat Osborn and subsequent error by L.J. Biernbaum on an already slick outfield lawn. Rain intensified as Lancaster came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, and Blue Crabs closer Jim Ed Warren had trouble with the elements. He walked Lloyd Turner on four pitches. Turner swiped second and Danny Bravo followed with a single to center, adding a second runner. Ryan Mulhern lofted a deep fly to left, scoring Turner, but Mulhern also reached base when James Shanks had the waterlogged ball squirt free from his glove.

Bainter called a halt to play at that moment, and ongoing rains forced suspension of the game. It will be resumed in progress on Sunday afternoon. L.J. Biernbaum will bat with runners at first and second and nobody out when play continues.

Lancaster stranded 16 baserunners, tying a club record, in a 5-3, 11-inning loss to the Newark Bears, the third straight loss on the opening homestand.

Newark was not so wasteful.

Charlton Jimerson led off the 11th inning with a bloop, ground rule double down the right field line and eventually scored the go-ahead run as Bears manager Tim Raines, Sr. found himself out of players.

Jimerson’s double was followed by a bunt from Ramon Nivar. Eddie Camacho, Lancaster’s fifth pitcher, threw low, and David Housel was unable to handle the bounce as Nivar reached safely. The Barnstormers even had a second chance at Nivar, but he escaped a rundown, returning to first base untouched.

Nivar stole second, and Abraham Nunez got Jimerson across with a sacrifice fly to center. Nivar, who took third on the fly ball, scored on a grounder to third by Alberto Castillo, after sneaking up the line behind Lloyd Turner and bolting for the plate as soon as Turner cut loose the throw to first.

The Barnstormers fell behind, 2-0, early on an RBI single by Carl Everett in the first inning and RBI double by Anthony Manuel in the second.

In an inning that typified the weekend, the Barnstormers failed to catch up in the second.

Ryan Mulhern and L.J. Biernbaum started the frame with walks against starter Edgar Martinez. Bryan Sabatella reached on an infield single to load the bases, and Jed Morris, who had three singles in the game, drove in one run when his wind blown pop fly dropped in front of Jimerson in left.

Amadeo Zazueta popped to second for the first out, and Martinez induced a double play grounder from Lloyd Turner to get out of the threat.

Zazueta singled home a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Bears lead to 3-2, but, again the Barnstormers left the bases loaded in the inning on a called third strike to Aaron Herr. Herr vehemently disagreed with the call and was ejected from the game.

The Barnstormers were able to pull even in the bottom of the eighth. Morris led off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice by Zazueta. Lloyd Turner walked, and Michael Campbell greeted Cory Willey with the tying single to left field. Willey got Housel on a deep fly to center and struck out Jason Perry to preserve the tie.

Lancaster came close to winning again in the 10th inning. Turner drew a two-out walk from eventual winner Danny Santiesteban. Campbell then drilled a double into the right field corner. Jay Gibbons raced over and played the ball cleanly off the wall, forcing third base coach Tom Herr to hold Turner. Housel was caught looking at a third strike to end the threat.

NOTES: The Barnstormers are 1-3 for the first time in franchise history…The 3-6 slots in the batting order were a combined 1-for-20 on Sunday…Zazueta and Campbell both extended season-opening hitting streaks to four…Ross Peeples struck out four batters in a game for the first time since May 28, 2007…Peeples, Jon Huber and Ryan Cullen combined to deal five scoreless innings of relief…Lancaster will host Long Island at 7:00 on Tuesday evening…Josh Hall (1-0) will make the start for the Barnstormers.

Lancaster had four fly balls caught within a few feet of the right field wall and lost, 5-3, to the Newark Bears in the third game of a four-game series.

Two did make it over the wall for the Barnstormers, both with the bases empty on what turned out to be a futile night for the offense.

Newark bolted out to a quick 2-0 lead off Trey Hodges (0-1). Tim Raines, Jr. opened the night with a triple past Jason Perry in left field, and Bobby Hill joined him on the bases with a walk. Carl Everett gave the Bears a lead with a ground single by the diving Bryan Sabatella at first. One out later, Hill scampered home on a fly ball to center by Charlton Jimerson.

Lancaster had a similar opportunity in the bottom of the inning. Lloyd Turner picked up a walk, and Michael Campbell singled him to third with no one out. Campbell swiped second, and the Barnstormers appeared to be in business, but the club mustered only one run, on a Perry grounder, against 22-year old right-hander Francisco Castillo (1-0).

Newark struck twice more against Hodges in the second. Enohel Polanco started the inning with a single and moved up on a walk to Gerard Haran. Polanco stole third and scored when Dustin Smith, son of Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, grounded into a force play. The fleetfooted Smith stole second and third, then scored when Jed Morris’ throw sailed into left field.

Lancaster again countered with a run, when Morris snuck his first homer of the season inside the right field foul pole.

Thanks to a four-inning stretch where reliever Eric Ackerman kept the Bears off the scoreboard, the Barnstormers stayed within reach despite two drives by Sabatella and one by Aaron Herr being hauled in on the track in right.

Then came the eighth. Campbell belted a one-out solo homer off reliever Danny Santiesteban to cut the Newark lead to one. With two outs, Newark skipper Tim Raines, Sr. went to Oneli Perez to face Jason Perry, an interesting move, considering that Perez allowed a tie-breaking homer to Perry on Thursday.

Perry barely mishit the first offering from Perez with a fly ball caught in front of the scoreboard by Ramon Nivar, who had taken over in right for Smith two innings earlier.

After Newark tacked on a run in the ninth, Keith Foulke came on to record his second save in two nights.

NOTES: Campbell and Amadeo Zazueta have each hit safely in all three games…The Barnstormers five homers in the season-opening series have all been solo shots…Lancaster is only 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the series…Edgar Martinez, a converted catcher, will start for Newark on Sunday afternoon against Jason Scobie…Game time is 1:30.

After an unbeaten spring training camp and a stellar Opening Night performance, Lancaster’s pitching staff issued eight walks and hit two batters as the Newark came from behind and dumped the host Barnstormers, 9-3, Friday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Every Bears run-producing inning began with a leadoff walk.

Up, 2-0, heading into the sixth, Zack Parker (0-1) walked Michael Tucker. Carl Everett followed with a pop fly into left that found a small space between the retreating Amadeo Zazueta and the charging Bryan Sabatella. Tucker and Everett pulled off a double steal, and Ramon Nivar walked to load the bases.

Tom Cochran, acquired from the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League just before the season, came on in relief and hit Daryle Ward with a pitch to force home a run. He fanned Charlton Jimerson for the first out and almost escaped the inning with just one run on the board. Abraham Nunez scalded a grounder to the left of third baseman Aaron Herr, but Herr made a diving stop. He fed Lloyd Turner for a force play, but the relay throw to first was a shade late, and Everett scored the tying run on the fielder’s choice.

Nunez broke for second. Catcher Adam Shorsher saw a better opening to throw behind Nivar at third, but sailed the throw into left field as Nivar scored. Alberto Castillo then poked a double into the right field corner for a 4-2 lead.

Lancaster climbed within a run with its second unearned tally of the night in the bottom of the sixth and stayed close thanks to a great throw from Michael Campbell that nailed Tucker at third in the top of the seventh.

However, Jon Huber walked Ward to start the eighth. He almost got out of danger with a strikeout of Tim Raines, Jr. for the second out, but Bobby Hill was able to drop a fly ball into left center for a two-run single and a 6-3 lead. Nunez and Castillo followed a pair of walks in the ninth with a pair of RBI singles to produce the final margin.

A sacrifice fly by Zazueta and an RBI double by Campbell had given the Barnstormers their early lead against Bobby Brownlie (1-0). Former big league closer Keith Foulke came on in the eighth for a two-inning save.

NOTES: The Barnstormers and Bears go at it again on Saturday evening at 6:30…Trey Hodges will get the start for Lancaster against Shane Komine.

For the fifth straight year, the Lancaster Barnstormers allowed exactly two runs in their season opener as the host club downed the Newark Bears, 5-2, in front of 8,019 Thursday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Barnstormers have won all five.

Josh Hall worked six strong innings for Lancaster, and L.J. Biernbaum cranked two home runs in the Barnstormers victory.

Newark drew first blood with a two-run homer to right by Ramon Nivar in the top of the second. From there, Hall and a trio of relievers shut down the Bears offense on two hits for the remainder of the night. No other Bear advanced beyond second base.

Lancaster responded immediately to the Nivar blast. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Ryan Bukvich walked the bases loaded. Lloyd Turner grounded a single up the middle, scoring Bryan Sabatella and Adam Shorsher before Amadeo Zazueta was cut down at third.

The score remained tied at 2-2 until Jason Perry opened the bottom of the sixth with a homer to right off Oneli Perez (0-1). Two batters later, Biernbaum connected to right center for a 4-2 lead. Biernbaum also went to right center off Cory Willey in the eighth inning for an insurance run.

Hall (1-0) allowed four hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out seven. Eddie Camacho, Jon Huber and Ryan Cullen each worked a scoreless inning with Cullen earning the save.

NOTES: The crowd of 8,019 was the fourth largest in franchise history…Biernbaum had homered nine times against the Barnstormers in four years with Camden…Seven of those homers came in 2007, tying the record for the most against Lancaster in one season…Lefty Zack Parker will start Friday night’s game against right-hander Bobby Brownlie for the Bears…Game time is 7:00.

The victory gave Brian Tolberg (1-0) his first win of the season. Tolberg pitched six innings, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks. He struck out three in only his second start of the season.

Somerset made sure early on that its pitcher would not have to worry about run support. First Baseman Josh Pressley tied teammate Brandon Larson for the league lead and the team record for home runs with a three-RBI blast in the first inning. Pressley has 29 home runs this season and has tallied eight RBI so far in this series.

Barnstormer pitcher Ben Fritz (3-1) gave up six earned runs in his five-plus innings of work. Fritz allowed nine hits and three walks before being pulled in favor of Eric Ackerman.

The Patriots tacked on five more runs in the sixth, including two unearned against Ackerman on a throwing error by short stop Mike Caruso.

Lancaster’s only runs came in the third inning on catcher David Castillo’s two-run homer to center field.

Jason Richardson, Steve Kelly and Casey Cahill combined for three innings of shutout relief pitching for Somerset, but no save was awarded.

The offensive output by the home team was assisted by right fielder Ryan Radmanovich and catcher Tyler Anderson, who combined for two runs and two RBI. Third baseman Matt Hagen was 1-3, adding two stolen bases (30) for the Patriots.

Somerset closes out the home portion of the regular season Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. against the Barnstormers. The team finishes out the schedule in Newark starting Thursday. Wednesday is “Fan Appreciation Night” at Commerce Bank Park, featuring an appearance by the Zooperstars.

The Somerset Patriots jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and, with pitcher Brian Adams (W, 11-7) on the mound for eight solid innings, never looked back through the 10-5 victory.

Adams, in his longest start of the season, faced 34 batters and gave up three runs on 10 hits. He walked one and struck out five.

His Lancaster counterpart, Mac Nelson (L, 1-1), did not fare as well. Nelson was pulled in the third inning after giving up five runs and loading the bases. In his two and two-thirds innings of work, Nelson walked four, struck out one and gave up six hits that lead to six earned runs.

The Patriots began the evening when Nelson walked lead off man Elliott Ayala and second baseman Teuris Olivares. Designated hitter Joe Burke, a new addition to the team, bunted the runners over for first baseman Josh Pressley, who doubled into right field for two RBI. Pressley went 3-4, with two runs and five RBI. Third baseman Matt Hagen singled to left, scoring Pressley. Hagen then stole second base, and recent Somerset addition Anthony Granato looped a single into right field, sending Hagan home. Catcher Travis Anderson ended the inning when he slapped a single off of the short stop’s glove and left fielder Mike Woods threw Granato out at the plate.

The Barnstormers refused to take a dive, though. Lancaster threatened in the third inning, sending four base runners against Adams, but none were able to score. In the fifth inning, center fielder Gary Harris hit a fielder’s choice single, bringing Argenis Tavarez in for the first Barnstormer point of the evening.

Lancaster tacked on two more runs in the sixth, including an RBI triple by second baseman Lloyd Turner. With the hit, Turner set the Atlantic League single season record for triples with 12.

The Patriots answered back with a four-run eighth inning. Somerset recorded four hits and four runs (three earned) off relief pitcher Wes Wilkerson, making the score 10-3.

John Hunton came in the ninth to close the game for the Patriots. Lancaster instead rallied when Hunton walked Tavarez and Wood. DH Matt LeCroy doubled off the right field wall, scoring both runners. When he crossed the plate, Woods set the single season record for runs scored at 114, besting Billy Hall’s former record of 113. The rally ended when the next batter, right fielder Bryan Sabatella, grounded into a 6-3 double play. Hunton did not qualify for a save.

The Barnstormers were led by Woods, who was 3-4 with a walk and a run. Along with Pressley’s big performance, the Patriots were helped by Olivares, who went 2-4 with one walk, two runs and one RBI. The RBI came with the bases loaded in the third, extending Olivares’ streak to nine RBI in his nine appearances this season with the bases loaded.

Tuesday, the two teams match up again in Bridgewater. The 7:05 p.m. start features Ben Fritz (3-0) for the Barnstormers against Brian Tolberg (0-0) of the Patriots on “Irish Night,” “Halloween Night,” and “Rally Towel Night.”

The two pitchers combined for sixteen strikeouts, each striking out eight. Making his fifth start for the Barnstormers this season Fritz allowed just three hits, walked four, and did not allow a run as he earned his first win in the Atlantic League. Sunday’s shutout was York’s fifth on the season.

Fritz was recently released by the Erie Seawolves, the AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He left with a 6.40 ERA and hitters were batting a solid .325 against him in the Eastern League. His first four starts with Lancaster were all no decisions.

The Revolution were coming off a 16-4 blowout and Fritz was making his first start against the hot hitting home team, it had the makings of another rough night for the Barnstormers.

Lancaster would quickly get off to a good start in the second inning as cleanup hitter Ian Bladergroen took Rakers yard to right field near the picnic area. It was Bladergroen’s 13th long ball of the season.

The Revolution struggled all day to put guys on base and had plenty of opportunities to make something happen as Fritz was shaky and walked four throughout the game. The Revs failed to record an extra base hit.

On two occasions York designated hitter Matt Dryer came to the plate with two men on with two outs and the same result occurred each time up, a strike out. Dryer would account for four of the eight total men left on base by the Revolution.

Lancaster pitching made a complete turnaround from last night as they kept York hitless from the fifth inning on. The Barnstormers would add two more runs on a Bladegroen double to right field and a bunt by Mike Caruso.

Reliever Ryan Cullen registered a perfected ninth inning on the mound earning his ninth save on the season. Rakers is now 9-8 on the season, and Fritz improved to 1-0 in five starts. Lancaster improves to 21-27 and Yorks first place lead shrinks to 1.5 games and 27-21 overall, as Newark won their day game on Sunday.

The game became under protest by York in the ninth inning when Lancaster’s Jordan Herr was used a pinch runner for Matt LeCroy. The confusion was cleared up later on and Herr’s number was listed differently on the lineup card than what the number that was on his jersey.

York will begin a three game series in Bridgeport on Labor Day, meanwhile Lancaster returns home to begin a seven game home stand starting with Long Island.

The projected starters for tomorrow’s game in Bridgeport are York’s Dan Foli (4-6, 5.53) vs. Bridgeport’s Barry Hertzler (8-7, 4.88). The game begins at 7:05 p.m.

Early on the game was tight as York took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Barnstormers were fortunate to allow just one run as pitcher Jason Scobie allowed the first three runners to get on base. He would retire the next three batters in order along with two strikeouts.

York pitcher Corey Thurman, Atlantic League Pitcher of the month for June, performed solidly, allowing four runs on six innings, striking out six. The win marked his ninth on the season, improving his record to 9-7 on the season.

In the fifth inning the Stormers’ seemed to be gaining some needed momentum as they have lost eight of their last ten. Michael Woods came to plate with catcher David Castillo, and newly acquired left fielder Bryan Sabatella on base and hit a skyscraper to left field over the tallest wall in all of baseball.

The blast was the second of the game for Woods, giving him 17 on the season.

The top of the fifth inning would be the only time the Barnstormers would lead the game as York would go completely bonkers by scoring 12 unanswered runs.

Just like a thermostat, the Revs turned up the heat in front of a packed house of 6,110 fans as left fielder Matt Esquivel jacked a three run blast over the left field wall off of Lancaster’s Sendy Rleal giving York a 7-4 lead.

“We knew coming into the game that we needed eleven wins to win the Community Cup, but are main focus was the series,” said Esquivel. The community cup is the signature trophy that is awarded to the rival that wins the most games in the season series.

Adding five runs in the fifth inning was just the beginning of an all out beatdown. York would strike again as designated hitter Matt Dryer sent a towering blast into the playground area, and collected three RBI’s on his 17th homer of the season.

After the Michael Woods show concluded in the fifth inning, who knocked in all four runs singlehandedly Lancaster went cold. The moisture from the humid weather affected both teams, but really showed in the field for Lancaster as they made two errors in pivotal moments.

York’s biggest inning would take place in the seventh inning as the batted around scoring six on three hits. MVP candidate first baseman Chris Ashby would send a rising “golf like” shot sailing to dead centerfield.

Lancaster’s Jutt Hileman misjudged the ball as it soared over him and rolled to the wall as all three runners came around to score on the stand up double by Ashby. Two more base runners would get on and Revolution third baseman Matt Padgett would crush the pitch to deep left and ricocheted off the top of the Arch Nemesis and landed on Arch Street outside the stadium.

York would finally be at peace and put in their reserves to finish out the game. York and Lancaster will close out the series tomorrow at 5:07.

But the lineup continues to propel the Ducks up the Liberty Division standings. Once again, an offensive explosion was used to bludgeon an opponent. The Ducks belted out 10 runs in the second inning last night, sending 14 men to the plate to ignite a 10-4 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers.

“You see very few innings like that,” Kevin Haverbusch said. “Everybody was just putting good swings on every pitch the guy threw.”

A sell-out crowd of 6,321 enjoyed pregame dancing and singing as part of the Irish night celebration. Yet the Ducks didn’t need the luck of the Irish to tag Barnstormers starter Chris Steinborn. Rob Sandora and Haverbusch, the eighth and ninth hitters, combined for five RBIs in the second. Coupled with Southern Maryland’s loss, the Ducks moved into a first-place tie in the Liberty Division; the first time since July 11 the Flock have claimed at least a share of the top spot.

“Everybody’s in a pretty good mood today. Everybody did pretty well,” manager Dave LaPoint said.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases to start the second. Damian Rolls filed out to shallow right, forcing all runners to hold. That would be the highlight of the inning for Steinborn. Sandora followed by hitting an opposite-field single that landed just inside the third base foul line, opening a 2-0 lead.

Batting ninth, the struggling Haverbusch broke the game open by drilling Steinborn’s 1-0 changeup over the YMCA sign in left. The three-run shot was Haverbusch’s eighth of the season, helping the Ducks score 10 runs or more for the 14th time this season.

“I sure as hell hope so,” said Haverbusch when asked if the homer could help him break out of his recent slump. “I’ve been pretty much terrible. It’s been hard not playing and then being out for so long. Hopefully, it gets me going so I can help out.”

Pete Rose Jr., Ray Navarrete and Richard Hidalgo each added RBI hits while Carl Everett logged two hits and two runs in the inning. Damian Rolls capped the rally, ripping a run-scoring double to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. Steinborn pitched the entire inning and actually stayed in the contest, pitching six innings despite his ledger that included 14 hits against one walk.

“You usually don’t see it manifest itself in one inning like that, usually it’s over the course of a game,” said Haverbusch about the offensive barrage. “But that inning, it just picking up right where the last guy left off.”

Jose Paniagua made the run support stand-up and provided LaPoint with optimism that the rotation could start to stabilize. The former White Sox, Mariners and Expos right-hander allowed just one run in six innings, striking out three in his first start of the season.

The 34-year-old pitched three innings in relief while making his Ducks debut last week and seamlessly made the transition back to starter. Michael Wood’s RBI single was the only run Lancaster could muster against Paniagua.

“We got a big lift out of Paniagua,” LaPoint said. “He pitched one of the better games of the year right there. It’ll be a big lift for us if he can keep doing that.”

Lancaster scored three runs in the first inning and were held off the board until posting another three spot in the ninth. The ‘Stormers sent eight men to the plate in the first, with Ian Bladergroen and Matt LeCroy delivering back-to-back home runs. In the ninth, Brian Munhall’s single plated the go-ahead run, while Lloyd Turner’s two-run triple gave the visitors some much-needed breathing room. Jamie Pogue came through in the second for the Ducks with a two-run double to get the club on the board, and P.J. Rose tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double of his own. Damian Rolls homered in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

Randy Leek settled in after a rough first inning and shut out Lancaster for the rest of his outing. The southpaw worked seven innings and allowed three runs on nine hits. Erik Dessau went seven as well in the start for Lancaster, giving up three runs on five hits. Sendy Rleal (4-3) picked up the win with an inning of relief, while Todd Williams (2-2) took the loss for Long Island. Ryan Cullen earned his ninth save of the season.

The Ducks continue their season-long ten night homestand on Wednesday with the third game of a four-game set against Lancaster. Game time is at 7:05 p.m., with the Citibank Park gates opening at 6:05 p.m. The Ducks will celebrate Irish Heritage Night, presented by the Nutty Irishman. Fans unable to attend can catch the game live via streaming webcast at www.liducks.com, with Ducks radio voice Chris King calling the action. Tickets to the game and all upcoming Ducks home games are available at the Citibank Park Box Office, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or by logging onto www.liducks.com and clicking on the tickets icon at the top of the page.

The Long Island Ducks play their home games at Citibank Park and are in their ninth season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. For further information, visit www.liducks.com, or call (631) 940-3825.

The Blue Crabs had hit .222 for the series coming into the game, and could only muster five hits on the day versus starter Eric Ackerman. Ackerman had entered the game with a 1-4 record, but picked up the win for the visitors.

John Ramistella was the exception to the rules, picking up two hits, a run batted in, and also scored a run. Although his pink bat was cracked in the third inning, Ramistella roped his ninth double of the season in his very next at bat. Aside from Ramistella, the rest of the team combined to go 3-for-29.

Starting pitcher Ryan Bicondoa pitched well, but takes the loss to fall to 6-4. The righty went six and two-thirds inning while giving up four earned runs, although six total runs crossed the plate while he was on the mound.

The bullpen has started to show some depth, as Chris Gale, Jason Pearson, and Mike Gibbs combined to give up zero runs and only one hit over two and a third innings of work. Gibbs was impressive in the ninth, striking out two batters for the second consecutive night in one inning.

The Blue Crabs will now travel to Newark for four games, before returning home to face Somerset in a weekend series. The Waldorf skies will again be lit up this weekend, as both Friday and Saturday’s games will feature fireworks following the contest.

The offense got on the board quickly in their first turn at bat thanks to Randall Simon’s bases-clearing double off the center field wall. It was part of a four-run first that vaulted the Bears out of the gate.

Mike Bumstead (5-4) threw five innings for the win and pitched well, but couldn’t get deep into the game. Unfortunately, he couldn’t muster up any 1-2-3 innings which elevated his pitch count, but he had the Lancaster hitters off balance during his time in the game.

“Its nice to get strikeouts,” said Bumstead. “But, I’d rather get deeper into the game, get through at least six, but the bullpen came in and did their job and we were able to get the win.”

Indeed, Bumstead struck out ten Barnstormers in his five innings of work.

“I threw quite a bit of sliders,” Bumstead said. “Probably threw too many, but I was able to get ahead with the fastball to set up the slider and it was definitely working today.”

“He was pretty solid today,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “He got into trouble with his pitch count, the hitters were fouling off a lot of pitches in their at-bats. We weren’t afraid to use our bullpen since they’re pretty fresh.”

It was a fairly quiet game from there on. Edwin Almonte, Cory Willey and J.J. Trujillo finished out the game with Trujillo picking up his fourth save when he came on in the ninth inning.

Newark scratched out a couple of extra runs as the game went on. Ramon Castro picked up a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and then an RBI-single in the sixth to add some insurance to the Bears lead.

The win, coupled with a loss by the Somerset Patriots, drew them even for first place in the Freedom Division with Long Island coming to The Den for a three-game weekend series.

“Surely our goal is to win two out of three,” said Krenchicki. “We’ve got some different pitching matchups this time with Baez, who will hopefully be ready to go and Gracesqui on Saturday. I think our matchups will be better this time around.”

The Bears and Ducks square off for game one at 7:05 PM on Friday night at Riverfront Stadium.

Notes: Newark announced before the game that they’ve signed right-handed pitcher Carlos Mirabal. Mirabal was a key cog in last year’s championship team until he was sidelined with an injury in September. David Pellegrine was also traded to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League to complete an earlier trade.

Bears starter Stanley (6-0) earned the win, pitching six and two-thirds innings, giving up four hits, striking out six and walking three. Stanley has won six consecutive starts and in his last three appearances combined, he has pitched 22 and one-third consecutive scoreless innings. Reliever Trujillo tossed a scoreless two and one-third innings and struck out the final three batters to secure the win.

The Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. The Bears collected four consecutive base runners to start the inning. Jose Herrera plated second baseman Bobby Hill with an RBI single. Then, with one out, Ramon Castro scored on a fielder’s choice play activated by Cory Aldridge to make the score 2-0.

The Bears added another two runs in the third when Val Majewski smacked a two-out 2-RBI double to give the Bears a 4-0 lead.

The Bears then scored single runs in the fourth and the fifth. In the fourth inning, John Pachot blasted a solo home run over the left field wall, boosting the score to 5-0. The homer was Pachot’s sixth of the season. The Bears made the score 6-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Randall Simon.

Jose Herrera led the Bears offensively, going 3-4 with three singles.

Paul Thorp (0-1) suffered the loss for the Barnstormers, giving up four runs on seven hits during three innings of work.

The Bears continue their six-game homestand tomorrow with an 11:05 against the Barnstormers. Mike Bumstead (4-4) will take the mound for the Bears, facing Eric Ackerman (0-3). For great seats, call 1-866-55-4BEAR or visit the Bears’ website www.newarkbears.com.

CAMDEN, NJ- The Camden Riversharks welcomed over 6,500 students out to Campbell’s Field Wednesday to participate in Baseball in Education Day, but the Lancaster Barnstormers taught the lessons. The Barnstormers piled runs throughout the game to win 14-5.

The Barnstormers took a three-run lead in the first on four hits, including an RBI double by designated hitter Manny Mejia. Mejia was 2-for-4 on the night with two runs scored. The Riversharks bounced back in the bottom of the inning on a bases-clearing, three-run double by first baseman Brett Bonvechio.

Lancaster added two in the second and another five in the fifth to take a 10-3 lead. Shortstop Danny Gonzalez singled in the first two, and the team strung together five hits in the fifth.

Camden starter Darren Sack was pulled in the fifth for reliever Jeremy Lewis. Sack pitched 4.1 innings with nine hits, eight earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts.

The last signs of life from the Riversharks came in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Jason Phillips doubled to center to score Bonvechio and outfielder Josh Rabe. The Barnstormers added fours runs over the final two innings.

The Riversharks kick off a home series with the York Revolution Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.riversharks.com or by calling 1-866-SHARKS-9. It’s the Riversharks’ Salute to Old School Baseball, and ESPN Page Two writer Paul Lukas will be in attendance to cover the new team uniforms for the Uni Blog.

CAMDEN, NJ – Lancaster third baseman Lance Burkhart went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored to lead the Barnstormers over the Riversharks at Campbell’s Field Tuesday. Burkhart’s RBIs came in the seventh and broke the game open, 5-1.

The Riversharks offense was led by hot-hitting left fielder Josh Rabe. Rabe had four hits, including an RBI double in the seventh.

Both teams got strong starts from their starting pitchers. Josh Hall pitched into the 7^th inning for the Barnstormers, giving up seven hits and walking one. He struck out two. The win is Hall’s first of the season.

Camden’s Sean Thompson had a strong start for the Riversharks. Thompson threw 6.1 innings and allowed five hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts. He took his first loss on his first start of the season.

Richard Lewis and Nic Jackson each had two hits for the Riversharks, who had 12 total.

Outfielders Michael Woods and Jutt Hileman had two hits each for the Barnstormers.

The Barnstormers showed improved defense after committing eight errors in Monday’s loss. Catcher Manny Mejia dropped a foul in the ninth for the team’s lone error.

The series continues tomorrow at 11:05 a.m. Tickets are available online at www.riversharks.com or by calling 1-866-SHARKS-9.

The Riversharks took the lead in the first when third baseman Brett Bonvechio singled with centerfielder Nic Jackson on second. Jackson scored on a throwing error, and Bonvechio later scored on a fielder’s choice. The Barnstormers committed three errors on the inning.

The Riversharks rallied for five more runs in the third, including a bases loaded, three-run triple by shortstop Gary Cates. The Barnstormers contributed three more errors to the cause.

Cates added another RBI on a sac fly in the fifth to make it 8-0, and the Barnstormers matched it in the seventh. The game was already decided and ended 8-1.

The series continues tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.riversharks.com or by calling 1-866-SHARKS-9. Join us for Amtrak Bingo for your chance to win great prizes!

Bumstead shut out the Barnstormers while yielding just two hits and two walks, ringing up nine strikeouts as well. He improved to 4-4 on the season, though he has been excellent in his last few outings, he’s been victimized by some bad luck, but none of that on this day.

“I felt pretty good today, I just went out there trying to throw strikes,” said Bumstead. “I made a couple of bad plays in the field myself, but we played good defense out there afterwards and I was able to battle back and I was fortunate enough to come away with a good performance.”

Bumstead carried a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings, having it broken up by Michael Woods, who it a double to left-center.

“I’d like to say I didn’t notice, but, when you pitch, you know what you’re doing,” said Bumstead. “I’d have loved to get the no-hitter, but they’re rare, I’d rather just go out there and get a strong performance and come away with a win.”

Once again, the Newark Bears hitters provided some offensive fireworks of their own, paving the way for their starting pitcher.

Val Majewski continued his torrid streak by going 4-for-5, including a solo home run in the first inning to kick-start the offense.

Randall Simon’s resurgence continued with RBI-singles in the third and fifth inning. Simon went 3-for-4 and has raised his batting average nearly fifty points since returning from a shoulder injury.

Designated Hitter Gerard Haran blew the game wide-open in the bottom of the fifth with an impressive three-run homer that cleared the center field wall with plenty of room to spare. The young utility player has been a pleasant surprise playing in spot-situations for the Bears.

Cory Aldridge also picked up two more RBIs to extend his Atlantic League-leading total to 34 and raised his batting average to .397.

However, for the second straight day, this poweful offense to a back seat to another fantastic pitching peformance.

“It’s been real big for us,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “To follow up Stanley like that and he had nine punchouts himself, it was huge, especially after the extra innings two nights ago and being a little short in the pen right now.”

Next up for the Newark Bears are the Bridgeport Bluefish, who come to Riverfront Stadium for a three-game set starting Monday. Game one will pit Bridgeport’s Rafael Bergstom against Newark’s David Pellegrine.

Notes: In the three game series with Lancaster, a Bears pitcher recorded a strike out in each of the final 20 innings, dating back to the eighth inning of game one on Friday night. Bumstead is the only pitcher in the Atlantic League to receive a decision in all of his starts (minimum four starts).

Stanley went the distance for the Bears, impressively striking out 15 hitters along the way, setting a new club record and falling just one strikeout short of the Atlantic League record set by Ray Davis of the Somerset Patriots.

“I thought I kept a lot of pitches down tonight,” said Stanley. “The slider I felt was working great so that helped with the strikeouts and the fastball was staying down, I was able to force them to put the ball in play.”

Stanley’s family was also on hand tonight, making the performance even sweeter for him. The native of Lakewood, N.J. had a crowd of his parents, brothers and nephews and some friends as well at The Den to witness his pitching feat.

“It feels great, you know,” Stanley said. “I’m just glad to be here where my family can see me, I’ve always played far away, so it’s great they can come up and see me.”

Stanley had the Barnstormers off-balance all night long. He started off hot, fanning five batters in the first two innings and he had set down ten hitters on strikes at the end of five innings. Stanley then struck out one batter in each of the next three innings before ringing up two more in his final frame. He was still strong at the end of his 135-pitch night. His only real blemish was a solo home run he yielded in the third inning to Lancaster catcher Lance Burkhart.

The ever-reliable Bears offense provided plenty of run-support for Stanley to chase the record.

Newark picked up four runs in the bottom of the first. Val Majewski knocked in two runs with a long double to left-center field, and then Randall Simon plated two runs of his own by doubling off the 365 feet sign in right-center, missing a home run by just a few feet.

The Bears picked up one more run in the second inning on an RBI-single by Ramon Castro. Cory Aldridge further padded the lead with his Atlantic League-leading 32nd RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But, the night belonged to Stanley, whose performance also helped a bullpen that is a little short on arms due to injuries.

“We were just hoping for six or seven innings to ensure that our bullpen would be sharp for the next couple days,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “But a complete game and 15 strikeouts is just a huge lift for us.”

Indeed, spirits were high in the locker room after the game. The atmosphere was a lively one as all the Bears were offering their congratulations to Stanley. As reliever Rich Scalamandre headed off towards the shower he remarked “here’s the guy you want to talk to tonight,” while pointing towards the 6’7 right-hander. That really summed up the evening.

Notes: Newark’s previous record-holder was Brian Givens, who struck out 14 batters on July 2nd, 1998 against Somerset. Stanley’s complete game was the second of his career. His first came in 2006 while pitching for Washington in the Frontier League.

Newark started off the game with an early run as Cory Aldridge extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single to left field that drove in Ramon Castro to give the Bears a 1-0 lead after the first inning.

Lancaster took the lead in the next inning when Jutt Hileman hit a two-run homer over the left field fence.

In the fourth, Aldridge doubled to lead off the inning and set up a two-run shot towards the scoreboard in right field by Rutgers product Val Majewski, his second long ball of the season, that allowed the Bears to re-take the lead. Randall Simon followed with a single to centerfield and scored on John Pachot’s fifth home run of the year to give the Bears a 5-2 advantage.

Lloyd Turner countered with a solo home run on the first pitch of the fifth inning to put Lancaster within two runs. They added another run after a delayed double steal allowed Juan Francia to score and earn a steal of home plate.

The Bears got those runs back in the sixth inning after Pachot’s ground out with runners on the corners scored Majewski. Mike Just gave the Bears their three-run lead back with a double down the left field line to send home Simon, making the score 7-4 Bears.

Allowing four runs on four hits in his first start since taking the ball in last season’s Atlantic League Championship Game Four clincher for the Bears, Jose Garcia was pulled after six innings for Edwin Almonte, who struggled through the seventh and gave away the lead to Lancaster, capped off by Hileman’s second home run of the game, a three-run blast that gave the Barnstormers an 8-7 lead into the seventh inning stretch.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Bears started their comeback with a single by Just to right field. Brian Burgamy then bunted down the first base line, and forced a throwing error by Manny Meija which resulted in Just being awarded home plate for the tying run. The decision brought about an argument by Barnstormers manager Von Hayes, who was tossed from the game.

After Hayes’ ejection, Castro lined out to first. Jose Herrera came up and hit a single to center field. Burgamy was thrown out at home plate and Herrera was also thrown out trying to get to second base. Herrera’s hit prolonged his hitting streak to 20 games.

J.J. Trujillo came in relief for the Bears in the tenth inning and pitched two scoreless innings of relief until he gave up the leadoff home run in the 12th to Ball, giving the Barnstormers a 9-8 lead.

Lefty Eric Ackerman came in for the save in the bottom of the inning, and the Bears were able to get a runner to third in Castro, but Aldridge struck out to end the game, giving Ackerman his first save of the season.

Jose Cabrera (1-0) earned the victory for Lancaster, while Trujillo (1-2) was saddled with the loss. Pachot led Newark with three runs batted in, while Hileman knocked in five runs for Lancaster.

The Newark Bears return to action against the Barnstormers at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium tomorrow night. Pat Stanley (3-0, 4.06) is scheduled to start for the Bears, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Tickets for the game are still available at the Bears box office, online at www.newarkbears.com, or by calling 1-866-55-4-BEAR.

Newark got off to a quick start in the bottom of the second. Starter Tim McClaskey walked Cory Aldridge to start the inning, and then got two outs before walking Tim Sweeney. Scott Knazek made him pay by smashing a line drive over the left-center field wall for a three-run homer to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.

Things got dicey in the top of the third when David Pellegrine got into trouble. Manny Mejia singled to lead off the inning which was followed by Jutt Hileman hitting a ball off of third baseman Mike Sweeney’s glove. Mike Woods came up and singled to load the bases. Pellegrine then proceeded to walk five of the next six hitters, giving up four runs before he was finally replaced by Edwin Almonte. Almonte struck out Hileman to end the inning.

The walk carousel continued in the bottom of the inning, but this time it went against Lancaster when Bobby Hill led-off with a free-pass of his own. Keith Reed and Cory Aldridge followed up with walks loading the bases for Val Majewski. Majewski singled into right field plating Hill and Reed. One batter later, Tim Sweeney brought in Aldridge and Majewski after both advanced on a wild pitch by Yamel Guevara.

However, before that, what must have been a first in Atlantic League history took place.

Aldridge and Majewski attempted a double steal of second and third. On the attempt, Barnstormers catcher Larry Burkhart threw a peg that landed somewhere near the Hudson River. However, he ordered Aldridge and Majewski back to their bases ruling umpire interference. In essence, he called a do-over.

“I saw him put his hands up and he was saying ‘interference,’” said hitting coach Ryan Jones. “And I figured he meant batter’s interference, which didn’t happen and I was about to go out there and let him know that. And he said ‘no, it’s umpire’s interference’ and I said ‘oh, really? ‘I’ve never heard of that before.’ So, that was an interesting situation to say the least.”

Lancaster made it 7-6 on an RBI single by Vasili Spanos which scored Woods who reached on Sweeney’s second error of the game.

Newark added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Mike Just led the inning off with a walk. He stole second and Hill moved him to third with a ground out. Brian Burgamy then laced a single into left scoring Just. Later in the inning, Val Majewski plated Burgamy on a sacrifice fly. The next batter, Jose Herrera pinch-hit for Gerard Haran and doubled down the right field line, bringing home Reed.

Notes: Cory Aldridge walked in all four of his at-bats in Game 2. He also walked in his final at-bat of game 1 and singled before that, reaching base in six consecutive plate appearances. Mike Just has now dropped to ninth in the order, giving Bobby Hill the opportunity to lead off. “I’m working on some things right now,” said Just. “I’ll work through it and be ready to go.” Almonte picked up the win in relief.

However, the game began with the Bears falling behind. Lancaster wasted little time getting on the board scoring in the top of the first inning. Michael Woods led-off with a double over right fielder Jose Herrera’s head. Danny Gonzalez then sacrificed Woods over to third and Brian Stavisky sent a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Woods.

The Barnstormers struck again in the fourth inning when Vasili Spanos connected off of starter Benito Baez for a solo home run to left field.

The Bears returned fire in the bottom of the fourth. Ramon Castro took first after he was hit by a pitch from Lancaster starter Michael Nannini. Simon singled to the opposite field giving Jose Herrera an opportunity to drive in a run. Herrera drove both in with a triple to the right-center field gap, knotting the game up at 2.

Nannini was lifted two batters later after issuing consecutive walks to Keith Reed and Val Majewski. Judd Songster came on to end the threat getting catcher John Pachot to ground out to third.

Newark took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Cory Aldridge singled in Bobby Hill who had previously doubled with one out to get on base.

Bears starter Benito Baez left the game with that lead. After recording one out in the bottom of the sixth, he was replaced by right-hander J.J. Trujillo.

“They had their two right-handers in the middle of the lineup that Trujillo had dominated earlier in the series and it didn’t happen, it kind of backfired on us,” said Wayne Krenchicki. “But, [reliever Corey] Willey came in and did a great job.”

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the seventh for Lancaster reliever Ryan Cullen. Bears shortstop Vic Gutierrez lined a pitch directly back at Cullen and it hit him in the head, knocking his baseball cap clear off of him. However, Cullen immediately stood right up and walked into the dugout to get his jacket and then walked down the line back towards the Lancaster bullpen. He appeared extremely angry, but not hurt. Initial word came up to the press box saying that Cullen was going to be fine and E.M.S. was not called.

Gutierrez ended up with a single since the ball ended up in right field as a result of that strange play. Nate Hoelscher came on and walked Castro and Aldridge which brought Simon to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Simon hit the walk-off single through the right side to win the first game of the twin-bill.

Notes: Cullen showed no signs of concussion after the game, but unfortunately took the loss. Willey improved to 3-0 on this season, picking up the win in relief. Jose Herrera and Ramon Castro have both recently re-joined the team, they have gotten their visa issues worked out.