Game 87: Stormers 6-3

Eric Ackerman

	Eric Ackerman 4-6, 4.54 ERA		Josh Brey 5-0, 3.83 ERA

The off day came at an opportune time for the Barnstormers. After losing Josh Hall and Judd Songster in a two-day span, the team’s pitching staff was depleted and overworked. The bullpen in particular needed a rest.

Monday was Hall’s turn to start. Manager Von Hayes decided to skip that turn and go back to the top of the rotation. That means Eric Ackerman pitches tonight and Jason Scobie goes Wednesday. The off day allowed the team to keep Yamel Guevara in the bullpen — for now — and provided more time to search for a potential fifth starter.

The Barnstormers are riding a four-game winning streak into an interesting series. They play the next three at Somerset’s Commerce Bank Ballpark, which — as avid fans know — has replaced the Sandcastle as Lancaster’s house of horrors.

Somerset is 12-1 against the Barnstormers at home over the past two seasons. Strange things seem to happen to the Barnstormers there. They squander leads. They lose close games. They lose in extra innings. They throw wild pitches on intentional walks. Crazy stuff.

If ever there was a time to break the hex, this is it. The Barnstormers are beginning a pivotal stretch. They play the next 10 games against Somerset and York, including a three-game series against the Route 30 rivals that starts Friday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

On Monday we asked: Are the Barnstormers contenders? These next 10 days will go a long way toward answering that question.

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Lineups …

9-7	7-8
Mike Woods, LF	Elliott Ayala, CF
Lloyd Turner, 2B	Teuris Olivares, SS
Ian Bladergroen, 1B	Brandon Larson, 3B
Matt LeCroy, DH	Josh Pressley, 1B
Danny Gonzalez, SS	Matt Hagan, RF
David Castillo, C	Travis Anderson, C
Ivanon Coffie, 3B	Vito Chiaravalloti, DH
Jordan Herr, RF	Gera Alvarez, LF
Jutt Hileman, CF	David Housel, 2B

Scoring summary …

Barnstormers	001	000	500	6	12	0
Patriots	002	000	001	3	8	0

WP: Eric Ackerman (5-6)
LP: Josh Brey (5-1)

FINAL: Barnstormers 6, Patriots 3

Stormers 3rd: Coffie hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 1-0.

Patriots 3rd: Olivares’ home run scores Ayala.
Somerset leads 2-1.

Stormers 7th: Hileman’s single scores Coffie. Turner’s triple scores Herr, Hileman and Woods. LeCroy’s single scores Turner.
Lancaster leads 6-2.

Patriots 9th: Anderson hits solo home run.
Lancaster leads 6-3.

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Pitchers:

Barnstormers: Eric Ackerman, Paul Thorp (8).

Patriots: Josh Brey, Kip Bouknight (7), Frank Brooks (7), Rick Asadoorian (8), Casey Cahill (8), Jason Richardson (9).

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Box score:

RECORD: 10-7 (40-47)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Eric Ackerman

7 IP

7 H

2 R

2 ER

1 BB

5 K

Ackerman solved Somerset. The lefty was 0-3 with a 7.78 ERA against the Patriots coming into this game, including that 11-run, 16-hit debacle at the Clip shortly before the All-Star break. This time he was in control throughout. Ackerman is 5-6 with a 4.42 ERA. He has thrown 24 innings in his last three starts.

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NOTES:

*Lloyd Turner continues to be an unsung hero for this team. His three-run triple in the seventh inning snapped a 2-2 tie. It was his team-record eighth triple. Turner, now the everyday 2B, has 11 RBIs in his last eight games.

*The Barnstormers’ five-run rally in the seventh started with two outs. They put seven consecutive hitters on base. Turner’s triple was the highlight. The ball was nearly caught by CF Elliott Ayala, but it bounced off his glove. The little things finally went Lancaster’s way at Commerce Bank Ballpark as they knocked around Somerset’s vaunted bullpen.

*Matt LeCroy went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to a team-record 20 games. Surprisingly, he only has three extra-base hits during this remarkable run. At this rate, they’re going to start calling him “Ichiro.”

*Ivanon Coffie went 2-for-2 with two walks and continued his power surge with his seventh homer. The third baseman has four homers, two doubles and a triple in his last six games.

*C David Castillo started his second consecutive game, giving us a glimpse of how the playing time behind the plate will be dispersed. Manny Mejia will likely get the nod for the 11 a.m. start Wednesday.

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BOTTOM LINE:

The Barnstormers have a season-best five-game winning streak. They knocked off the Freedom Division’s first-half champs and — for the moment at least — broke the hex in Bridgewater. On the radio pregame show, closer Ryan Cullen said Lancaster was the team to beat. When you’re in first place, you can make that claim.