Another Thriller!

Barnstormers Produce Final Twist in Win over “Pretzels”

For the third time in a week, the Lancaster Barnstormers came to life just in time.

Sean Halton doubled home the tying runs with two outs in the ninth, and Garrett Weber put the Barnstormers over the top with a two-out RBI single in the 10^th as Lancaster climbed back to within a game of York with a 5-4 victory Friday evening at People’s Bank Park.

Brad Allen had Lancaster down to a final out with the bases empty in the ninth with York, dubbed the Pretzels for the evening, leading, 4-2.  Beau Amaral dropped a single into shallow center, and Weber picked up a walk.  Cole Garner laced a single into right to load the bases.  Halton swung and missed at the first two pitches from Allen, took the next for a ball and fouled off three straight before lining his two-base hit into the left field corner, driving home two.  Steve Clevenger walked to reload the bases, but Michael Click got Josh Bell on a liner to left to close the inning.

Click (2-1) retired the first two batters in the 10^th before Tyler Clark singled into left center.  Amaral, on the ninth pitch of his at bat, bounded a single into right field, chasing Clark to third.  Weber followed with a single over the head of second baseman Alexi Casilla to score Clark with the go-ahead run.

Bell had supplied Lancaster with a 2-0 lead on a leadoff homer in the second and a two-out RBI single in the fifth.

Brad Bergesen took that lead into the bottom of the sixth and retired Casilla for the first out.  Isaias Tejeda rolled a single under Bergesen’s glove to put a runner on base.  Michael Burgess rode a 3-2 pitch down the right field line for a tying homer.  Telvin Nash slugged a homer just to the right of the batters’ eye for a 3-2 lead.

Chase Simpson tacked on an RBI single with one out in the eighth for a 4-2 lead.

John Kuchno (2-1) picked up the win with a perfect ninth inning.  Anthony Carter retired the side in order in the 10^th, two on strikes, for his 26^th save.

Tommy Shirley (2-4) will take the hill for the Barnstormers on Saturday against right-hander Victor Mateo (6-7).  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube Channel, starting at 6:15.

NOTES:  Amaral had his second three-hit game in a row…Bell homered on consecutive at bats in York, also connecting late in the game on June 25…Lancaster has won for the franchise record seventh time when trailing going into the final scheduled inning…Lancaster is behind in the season series, 8-6.