Game 57: Stormers 5-3

	Josh Hall 2-0, 5.19 ERA		Sean Thompson 1-2, 6.91 ERA

This is when the schedule starts to turn in the Barnstormers’ favor. The team has already played 33 games away from Clipper Magazine Stadium. That means 47 of the final 84 – or 56 percent – will be at home.

Although the Barnstormers shook off their road woes during their trip to Long Island and Southern Maryland last week, it’s still nice to have this edge. The Atlantic League schedule isn’t balanced. Lancaster plays 38 home games in the second half – including all 10 against Newark.

The home cooking starts with a four-game series against Camden, which has the league’s best record at 33-22. The Riversharks are an example of the change is good philosophy.

First-year head of baseball operations Dave Keller only brought back two players – C Randy McGarvey and OF L.J. Biernbaum — from last year’s playoff team. Keller even parted ways with Dwight Maness, the team’s popular center fielder and a seven-year Atlantic League veteran.

The result? Camden has challenged Newark as the best offense around. The Riversharks are second in batting average, second in runs scored and have the second fewest strikeouts. Newcomers Nic Jackson and Josh Rabe have emerged as elite hitters at this level.

The Barnstormers are the only team that has a winning record against the Riversharks. Lancaster won both series between these rivals – one at home and one on the road. The rest of the Liberty Division is hoping that trend continues. Otherwise, Camden is going to cruise to a first-half division title for the second year in a row.

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Playing in Lancaster:

Former Barnstormer Derrick DePriest is still fond of playing at the Clip, even though he’s now a member of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

“We need to have a video of how Lancaster fans are and have our fans watch it,” DePriest said. “It’s just the sheer numbers in Lancaster. They exceed the numbers here. The word is still getting out. The fans that come here are great.

“We’re striving to have, from a fan base, the support of a Lancaster. They kind of set the bar for the last few years. They did it really quick.”

There has been some discussion about SoMd’s modest attendance through the first two months and how it compares to Lancaster and York. It’s important to note that Lancaster is a rare market. To expect every expansion city to match the enthusiasm here simply isn’t realistic. There’s more on the challenges the Blue Crabs face in building a fan base in today’s New Era.

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Nichols returns:

Kyle Nichols will be back at the Clip after his not-so-memorable 15-game stint with the Barnstormers. Nichols is hitting .286 in six games since joining the Riversharks last week. The 1B/DH has mysteriously lost his power stroke. He has one home run since May 8, span of 141 at-bats.

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Lineups …

(33-22)	(24-32)
Gary Cates, SS	Juan Francia, 2B
Nic Jackson, CF	Michael Woods, LF
L.J. Biernbaum, RF	Danny Gonzalez, SS
Jason Phillips, C	Manny Mejia, DH
Ron Davenport, LF	Lance Burkhart, C
Richard Lewis, 2B	Jutt Hileman, CF
Randy McGarvey, DH	Lloyd Turner, 3B
Kyle Nichols, 1B	Jarred Ball, RF
Rob Gandolfo, 3B	Ivanon Coffie, 1B

Scoring summary …

Riversharks	000	001	011	3	9	0
Barnstormerss	000	002	12x	5	9	1

WP: Josh Hall (3-0)
LP: Sean Thompson (1-2)
SV: Jose Cabrera (6)

FINAL: Barnstormers 5, Riversharks 3

Sharks 6th: Nichols hits solo home run.
Camden leads 1-0.

Stormers 6th: Woods scores on passed ball. Hileman’s double scores Mejia.
Lancaster leads 2-1.

Stormers 7th: Coffie hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 3-1.

Sharks 8th: Nichols hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 3-2.

Stormers 8th: Mejia hits solo home run. Ball’s double scores Hileman.
Lancaster leads 5-2.

Sharks 9th: Nichols’ single scores Phillips.
Lancaster leads 5-3.

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Box score:

RECORD: 25-32

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Josh Hall

7 IP

6 H

2 R

2 ER

0 BB

1 K

Hall’s best asset is his control. He has only issued 12 walks in 41 2/3 innings since joining the Barnstormers. This was an impressive performance. The only runs Hall allowed came on home runs by former Stormer Kyle Nichols. One was a monster shot to left. One was a cheapie off the picnic tent. Hall is 3-0 with a 4.75 ERA. The team is 7-0 when he pitches.

“I just feel like I’ve gotten comfortable mechanically and with my stuff on the mound,” Hall said. “I just feel good. I enjoy going out there and just pitching. Before I got here, things weren’t that good around me. Things weren’t that good in my head. I just settled down. I just eased myself and pitched.”

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The pitchers:

*Ryan Cullen worked a scoreless eighth. He retired Nic Jackson and L.J. Biernbaum – two very good lefty hitters – with the go-ahead run at second base in the eighth inning.

*Jose Cabrera allowed two hits and just his second earned run in the ninth. He struck out Gabe Suarez with runners at first and third to end it. The closer is now 6-for-7 in save chances.

“With his stuff, he might struggle through a couple of hitters, but eventually he’s going to get to the guy that he wants and he should be able to get him out,” manager Von Hayes said. “… This was the first night when it looked like he kind of got himself in a little trouble. But he reaches back and gets it done.”

*There were scouts in attendance Monday night. They were likely looking at Lancaster’s pitching and they saw some strong performances. Hall, Cullen and Cabrera could all help an organization.

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The hitters:

*Jutt Hileman is a different hitter at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The outfielder delivered a pair of doubles, including one that gave the Barnstormers a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Hileman is hitting .329 at home and .190 on the road.

*Ivanon Coffie connected for his second home run. The solo shot in the seventh gave the Barnstormers a valuable insurance run.

*Manny Mejia has homered in back-to-back games. He has four total.

*Juan Francia left after the first inning with a strained hamstring. He’s out a minimum of 10 days and is likely headed to the disabled list.

*Camden OF Josh Rabe has retired. That’s a big blow to the Riversharks. The former big leaguer was hitting .361 with six homers and 30 RBIs in 44 games.

*Rabe’s departure assures more playing time for Kyle Nichols. Nichols was in a lengthy home run drought entering Monday night. That’s over. This power display was enough to drive the Barnstormers bonkers. Nichols was released by Lancaster on June 14. He batted .189 with no homers in 15 games for the local team.

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The bottom line:

The Barnstormers still have the Riversharks’ number and they’re still on a hot streak. Lancaster is 5-2 against Camden and has won seven of its last nine overall. This one was fun to watch. You don’t see too many well-pitched, crisply-played games at the Clip. The Barnstormers are within seven games of .500 for the first time since May 19.

“Things have been going pretty well,” Hall said. “We’ve been playing better, which is good. We’ve got a good team here. I know our record doesn’t really show it, but we’ve been playing a lot better lately.”