Barnstormin’

	Jason Scobie 0-0, 2.16 ERA		Benito Baez 4-3, 4.32 ERA

The Barnstormers went back to their familiar top-of-the-lineup formula Thursday night. That meant Mike Woods in the leadoff spot and Danny Gonzalez hitting second. The decision left only one question: What took so long?

The Woods-Gonzalez combo ranks among the best in the league. Both players are patient hitters who draw walks and sport excellent on-base percentages. Woods’ on-base is .396. Gonzalez’s is .401. This is where they belong.

“I’ve always batted second,” Gonzalez said. “I feel comfortable anywhere. I’m trying to do my best every time I go out there, so it really doesn’t matter.”

Gonzalez, despite his 10 homers and team-best .470 slugging percentage, was miscast as a No. 3 hitter. He’s more of a table setter than a slugger. Barnstormers put him third after a rash of injuries and departures left them with little choice. Now that Ian Bladergroen is back, the team can return to its original 1-2 setup.

Manager Von Hayes experimented with Juan Francia in the leadoff spot, but his lack of patience and .286 on-base percentage were a bad fit. Lloyd Turner also hit leadoff at times, but he seems better suited for the No. 6 or 7 slot.

Woods-Gonzalez is the best alignment. The duo reached base six times and scored five runs against Newark Thursday night. Gonzalez had an RBI double and a three-run homer as the offense was jumpstarted for eight runs.

“We switched that up a little bit,” Hayes said. “Danny has been in that No. 3-hole for quite some time. There’s quite a difference between the 3-hole and the 2-hole. When you’ve got a little bit of speed in front of you, he took advantage of some fastballs the first time and sat on a breaking ball the next time. It was a tremendous game for him.”

Thursday night’s lineup was the best the Barnstormers can field as their roster is currently constructed. It also included Ivanon Coffie, who has brought some much-needed pop to the bottom of the lineup. Coffie hit his fifth homer as his OPS climbed to .835 in 34 games.

Weatherby to Ducks:

Charlie Weatherby is back in the Atlantic League. It’s not with the Barnstormers, the team he helped win the championship in 2006. According to ALB.com and the league’s official Web site, the relief pitcher has signed with the Ducks.

Whether they believe it’s fair or not, this will add to the Barnstormers’ growing reputation as a franchise that isn’t committed to winning. That’s what happens when a team doesn’t make in-season upgrades and allows star players to end up on other clubs. We saw it with Reggie Taylor last season and Derrick DePriest this spring. Now it’s Weatherby.

Weatherby was in the Phillies organization in 2007. He hasn‘t pitched this year. He was rehabbing from a minor procedure on his shoulder and was hoping to latch on with an affiliated club. Instead, his comeback will take him to Long Island.

Lineups …

6-7	6-7
Vic Gutierrez, 2B	Mike Woods, LF
Ramon Castro, SS	Juan Francia, 2B
Keith Reed, DH	Danny Gonzalez, SS
Jose Herrera, RF	Matt LeCroy, DH
Raul Gonzalez, CF	Manny Mejia, C
Ruben Mateo, LF	Lloyd Turner, 2B
Scott Knazek, C	Ian Bladergroen, 1B
Tim Sweeney, 1B	Jutt Hileman, CF
Ramon Nivar, 3B	Jordan Herr, RF

Scoring summary …

WP: Jason Scobie (1-0)
LP: Benito Baez (4-4)
SV: Ryan Cullen (5)

FINAL: Barnstormers 8, Bears 2

Stormers 1st: Woods hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 1-0.

Stormers 2nd: Mejia hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 2-0.

Bears 3rd: Herrera’s triple scores Gutierrez.
Lancaster leads 2-1.

Stormers 6th: LeCroy’s single scores Francia.
Lancaster leads 3-1.

Bears 7th: Reed’s fielder’s choice scores Nivar.
Lancaster leads 3-2.

Stormers 8th: Mejia’s single scores Gonzalez. Hileman’s single scores LeCroy. Herr’s single scores Mejia. Woods sacrifice fly scores Bladergroen. Francia’s single scores Hileman.
Lancaster leads 8-2.

Pitchers:

Bears: Benito Baez, J.J. Trujillo (8), Steve Kent (8).

Barnstormers: Jason Scobie, Judd Songster (7), Ryan Cullen (7).

Box score:

RECORD: 7-7 (37-47)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jason Scobie

This was a timely performance for Scobie, who earned his first win and looks like he’s going to be a force in the rotation. Any pitcher with a power sinker can excel, particularly at this level. The righthander has allowed four earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.

NOTES:

*Josh Hall was signed by the Rockies and assigned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He’s expected to start for his new team Sunday. It’s obviously a big loss for the pitching staff. Hall was 6-3 with a 4.10 ERA and had established himself as the ace of the rotation.

As one excellent pitcher left, another settled in. Scobie was in command. His outing made you wonder what could have been with Hall, Scobie, Eric Ackerman and Shane Youman lined up as starters.

*Ryan Cullen retired all seven batters he faced for his seventh save. Manager Von Hayes employed an odd bullpen strategy. Supposed closer Judd Songster was used for two batters in the seventh inning before Cullen was brought in to face Jose Herrera with a 3-2 lead and the tying run on third. Cullen took it from there with the Goose Gossage-type save. His ERA is 1.63. He’s having a great year.

*The power came back. The Barnstormers went through a home run drought at the start of the first half. They’ve belted four homers in the first two games of this series. LF Mike Woods and C Manny Mejia each hit solo shots in the first two innings.

*Matt LeCroy’s hitting streak was extended to 17 games with an RBI single in the sixth. He’s one behind Norm Hutchins for the team record.

*Luis Perez was released. This leaves the Barnstormers’ outfield woefully thin again. Jordan Herr was back in the starting lineup Friday night. There were no outfielders on the bench.

BOTTOM LINE:

The Barnstormers won back-to-back games for the first time since July 4. Even better, they found a way to beat one of the league’s elite pitchers. Lancaster has at least a split in this four-game series against Newark with a chance for much more.