June 10

Unofficial home of the Road Warriors of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

Barnstormers Walk Past Road Warriors  12-8 (6/10)

(story by http://lancasterbarnstormers.com/)

On a night where nine pitchers needed a treasure map to find the strike zone, the Lancaster Barnstormers outlasted the Road Warriors, 12-8, at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The game featured 26 walks with Lancaster drawing 15, a club record, and issuing 11. In one span of two innings, the Barnstormers (25-11) scored seven runs on only one hit, a grand slam by Steve Van Note, to overcome a 7-3 deficit. Only Julio Guerrero, the fifth pitcher used by the Road Warriors, succeeded in not walking a batter during his stint in the game, which lasted only three batters.

Lancaster struck an ailing Elvin Nina for three runs in the bottom of the first, two on a single by Jutt Hileman, but saw that lead quickly evaporate.

Sheldon Fulse drew a one-out walk in the second, stole second, and advanced to third on a single to right by Sandy Aracena. Bryan Goelz drove in one run with a force play grounder. A fly ball off the bat of Felix Martinez dropped between Quincy Foster and Reggie Taylor for an RBI double. Martinez then scored on a single to left by Teuris Olivares on a close play at the plate which the Barnstormers hotly contested.

Manny Mejia broke the 3-3 tie with a leadoff homer in the third inning, and Andy Zwirchitz was chased in the fourth, leaving with the bases loaded and a 5-3 deficit after the second RBI double by Martinez. Eventual winner Eric Ackerman (1-1) allowed a long sacrifice fly to center by Mike Huggins and an RBI infield single to Bernie Gonzalez before finally escaping the inning when Aracena lined to Manny Santana at first base with the bases loaded.

Reliever Brian Miller walked the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Road Warriors skipper Jeff Scott went to his bullpen for lefty Miguel Martinez (0-2). Van Note, typically a pull hitter, instead lofted a fly ball down the right field line into the picnic pavilion for his first career grand slam to tie the game at 7-7.

Lancaster went ahead to stay in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs without a hit. Hileman walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Manny Santana and Lance Burkhart also walked to load the bases, and Hileman scored on a wild pitch for an 8-7 lead. Kris Dufner laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Santana for a 9-7 lead. Foster walked, and with Van Note at the plate, took off for second. He pulled up short of the bag and stayed in a rundown long enough for Burkhart to score the third run of the inning.

The Road Warriors came right back against Ackerman loading the bases on two singles and a walk. Sheldon Fulse beat out a scratch single to cut Lancaster’s lead to 10-8, but that was as close as the visitors would get as Ackerman got a force at the plate and another ground ball to end the threat.

Matt Knox and Charlie Weatherby combined to throw three shutout innings to lock up the win, but even the dependable Lancaster bullpen righties still walked four total on the night. An RBI single by Hileman in the eighth provided comforting insurance.

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Last updated: July 21, 2006.