AT SOMERSET PATRIOTS
Brian Adams (8-1, 3.62 ERA) vs.
Rob Henkel (3-5, 3.64 ERA)
The Barnstormers try to avoid a sweep at the hands of Somerset, which has won eight games in a row. Henkel, who was 1-2 with a 4.09 ERA in June, makes his team-leading 12th start for Lancaster. Adams leads the league in wins and has a sparkling ERA — by Atlantic League standards. The righthander has allowed 11 homers in 64 2/3 innings, so that’s something to watch.
Pre-game notes:
– It case you missed it, Somerset star Jeff Nettles was signed by the Royals and assigned to Double-A Wichita. The third baseman was hitting .316 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in 56 games. Nettles’ departure leaves the third base slot for the All-Star team vacant. York’s Matt Dryer, who has only played eight games at third, probably deserves that slot more than anyone else.
– TEAM STRIKEOUT WATCH (by hitters): Newark, 260; Bridgeport, 288; Long Island, 289; York, 293; Somerset, 315; Camden 359; Lancaster, 390, Road Warriors, 400.
– Infielder John Wolff, who was signed by the Barnstormers Saturday, came with the recommendation of former Ducks coach Kevin Baez. Baez coached Wolff with the Mets of the Gulf Coast League.
Scoring summary:
FINAL: Patriots 7, Barnstormers 6 in 12 innings
Patriots 3rd: Elliott Ayala’s single scores Travis Anderson and Teuris Olivares. Patriots lead 2-0.
Stormers 4th: Steve Van Note’s triple scores Jutt Hileman. Patriots lead 2-1.
Patriots 6th: Josh Pressley’s double scores Mike Lockwood and Todd Leathers. Jose Morban’s single scores Pressley. Patriots lead 5-1.
Stormers 8th: Hileman’s home run scores Jeremy Todd and Danny Gonzalez. Patriots lead 5-4.
Stormers 9th: Van Note hits solo home run. Game tied at 5.
Stormers 10th: Danny Gonzalez hits solo home run. Barnstormers lead 6-5.
Patriots 10th: Alan Zinter hits solo home run. Game tied at 6.
Patriots 12th: Danny Garcia scores on wild pitch. Patriots win 7-6.
RECORD: 24-33
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Take your pick from this list: Jutt Hileman, Steve Van Note, Danny Gonzalez, Josh Pressley or Alan Zinter.
The game was decided on a wild pitch during an intentional walk. More on that below.
WHAT WENT RIGHT: The Barnstormers fought back again. A lot has been said and written about the deficiencies of this team, but character is not one of them. Lancaster could have easily folded Monday night. It was the final game in a six-game road trip. The team is out of the race. It was down 5-1 in the eighth. But the Barnstormers didn’t fold. They nearly pulled out an improbable victory.
*Danny Gonzalez nearly won it. The shortstop, who has been treated like a Strat-o-Matic card by his manager this season, continues to grind — despite the lack of an off day. Gonzalez’s 10th-inning solo homer off Saul Solveson put Lancaster in front for the first time all night.
*Steve Van Note tied it. The sometimes-maligned third baseman launched a solo homer in the ninth off Somerset reliever Hector Almonte, who was making his first appearance of the season for the Patriots. It was a bolt of lightning for a team that was seemingly headed to another one-run defeat (which it ultimately suffered).
*Jutt Hileman gave them a chance. The Barnstormers trailed 5-1 with two outs and no one on base in the eighth. Gonzalez and Jeremy Todd reached safely before Hileman greeted reliever Paul Thorp with a three-run homer. It was a jarring turn of events for Somerset, which struggled to finish off the win.
*In the end, however, the Barnstormers dropped another heartbreaker. They’ve lost two extra-inning games in a row. Lancaster went 1-5 on its road trip and has lost seven of eight overall. The defending champs are nine games under .500 for the first time since they were 6-15.
*Good news time. Lance Burkhart may be activated before Tuesday night’s game. That will give the catcher six games to get into shape for the second half.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Lance Odom lost it. The newly-acquired reliever hit speedster Danny Garcia to start the 12th. Odom then committed an error on a pick-off throw that allowed Garcia to reach second. After a sacrifice bunt, Odom threw a wild pitch during an intentional walk that allowed Garcia to score from third. An incredible ending, to say the least.
*Derrick DePriest couldn’t close it. The reliever took over with the Barnstormers holding a 6-5 lead in the 10th, but he allowed a leadoff homer to Alan Zinter. It was just the second homer allowed by the submariner all season. He retired six in a row after Zinter’s long ball.
*John Wolff went 0-for-4 and committed an error in his first start at second base. At least Mike Woods got most of the night off. He replaced Wolff as a pinch hitter in the 11th.
*Starter Rob Henkel had an uneven outing. He allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings and couldn’t find a way to escape the Patriots’ sixth-inning rally.
*The Barnstormers struck out 14 times for the second game in a row.
*Somerset found another way to prevail and maintain its half-game lead over Camden in the South Division. The Patriots have won nine in a row and are coming to Clipper Magazine Stadium for a three-game series that starts tonight.
