BALL STRIKES AGAIN!

Right-Hander Beats High Point, 11-2

Nile Ball fired six shutout innings, and the Barnstormers rapped out 13 hits in a 11-2 victory over the High Point Rockers on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

It was Lancaster’s eighth straight win and the club’s 11^th in a row at home.

Ball (6-3) allowed three hits and two walks over his start.  He struck out four.  High Point’s biggest threat came in the third.  Tyler Ladendorf looped a single into right, and Ben Aklinski followed with a line drive base hit that was bobbled by Trayvon Robinson for an error.  Lancaster opted to walk Logan Morrison intentionally, but Ball got Zander Wiel to ground into a force out at third.

Otherwise, the right-hander faced only two batters over the minimum.

Lancaster put up single runs in the first and third innings, both scored by Shawon Dunston, Jr., but it was in the fourth that the club finally got to starter Nick Evangelista (1-3).  Jake Hoover led off with a double to right center and scored when Trace Loehr followed with another double to the same gap.  Anthony Peroni singled home Loehr, and Devon Torrence laced a single into right.  Kyle Mott got the Rockers out of that inning and pitched a scoreless fifth.

The game was ripped open in the sixth.  Loehr led off with a single, and Nathan Bates walked two more to load the bases.  A wild pitch scored Loehr, and Andretty Cordero drew another walked as Bates left.  John Hayes’ first pitch was crushed out of the park to right center for a grand slam.  Andretty Cordero followed with another homer for a 10-0 lead.

High Point scored single runs in the seventh and eighth off Lancaster’s bullpen.

The Barnstormers entertain the Charleston Dirty Birds on Friday at 6:30.  Augie Sylk (4-7) will make the start for Lancaster against lefty Ryan Lawlor (4-2).  Fans may tune into the YouTube Channel at 6:25.

NOTES:  Melvin Mercedes went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games…Robinson’s slam was the club’s second of the season…Every member of the Lancaster lineup had at least one hit…Ball won his fifth straight decision and has a 2.20 ERA over that stretch…His season ERA is 3.01…Dunston has scored 29 runs in 32 games.