‘STORMERS LOSE LATE ON ROAD

‘Southern Maryland Rallies for 7-5 Win

It started with a hit batter.  It ended with a ball that ricocheted off the mound.

Southern Maryland scored four runs between the seventh and eighth innings to overturn a 5-3 Lancaster lead as the Blue Crabs improved to 22-3 at home with a 7-5 victory at Regency Furniture Stadium.

Erik Manoah (1-1) threw a perfect sixth inning but hit Raul Shah with a pitch to open the seventh.  Shah came home to score on a one-out triple to left center by Michael Wielansky.  Zach Collier walked, and, on the third strike to Jared Walker, took off for second.  Anthony Peroni fired through, and the ball kicked into center field as Wielansky raced home with the tying run.

Pinch hitter David Harris led off the bottom of the eighth with a long double off the fence in center.  Braxton Lee moved pinch runner Ian Yetsko to third.  Ryan Haug walked, bringing up Shah, whose smash toward the middle deflected off the mound and got away from second baseman for a tie-breaking single.  A sacrifice fly to left by Jack Sundberg produced the final tally.

Shawon Dunston, Jr.’s RBI triple in the second gave Lancaster a 1-0 lead, which the ‘Stormers extended to 2-0 on a Trayvon Robinson ground out in the third. 

Oscar De La Cruz, who fanned seven Blue Crabs in the first three innings, walked Wielansky to open the fourth.  Collier followed with a single to right, and Walker belted a three-run homer for a 3-2 lead.

Lancaster answered with three of their own in the fifth inning.  Melvin Mercedes drew a leadoff walk and scored on a one-out double by LeDarious Clark, who took third on the throw and scored when Haug threw the ball into left field for an error.  Colton Shaver and Trace Loehr added RBI doubles.

Lancaster managed four hits over the final four innings but could not produce another run.

Bradley Roney (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the win.  Mat Latos yielded consecutive two-out singles to Shaver and Robinson in the ninth before notching his 15^th save.

Augie Sylk (2-5) will make the start for the Barnstormers on Sunday at 2:05 against fellow lefty Mitch Lambson (4-1).  Fans may tune into the YouTube broadcast at 2:00.

NOTES:  Shaver has seven doubles in his last seven games and 11 in the last 14…Dunston has reached in all nine games he has played…De La Cruz struck out 10 in five innings becoming the third Lancaster starter to strike out 10 or more this season…Southern Maryland has won all eight games against Lancaster this season, despite the Barnstormers having more hits in six of the games.