Gastonia 12, Lexington 0

GASTONIA, N.C. - You might think that the Gastonia Honey Hunters would show signs of fatigue Friday night against the Lexington Legends. After all, returning home at 5 am after a satisfying road sweep of the Wild Health Genomes might leave room for malaise or complacency.

Perhaps you are mistaken!

Gastonia used a five-run first inning and added a one-hitter to a seemingly perfect night, as Gastonia defeated Lexington 12-0 in front of 3,016 fans at Caromont Health Park on Friday night.

The win clinches a share of the second half title in the South Division, one win from owning the outright division crown for the second-year franchise.

Gastonia jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first, highlighted by a Jake Skole grand slam off Lexington starter Daniel Corcino. The homer for Skole was his team-leading 22nd of the season.

From there, Gastonia and Reilly Hovis would bring the ship to safe harbor.

Hovis tossed six innings of one-hit baseball, allowing only a Tillman Pugh single in the fourth frame. Hovis punched out eight Legends hitters, surrendering one walk.

Luis Castro would launch his 12th home run of the season in the 3rd, stretching the advantage to 6-0.

Joseph Rosa led the double-digit offensive outburst with three hits and three RBI, while Skole added a RBI single in the eighth to give him a handful of ribbies in the rout.

Onas Farfan and Kent Klyman would relieve Hovis, closing out the contest and securing the club´s 83rd win of the season.

The one-hitter is one of two sterling performances in the second half against the Legends, as Gastonia no-hit the Legends on July 27th.

Gastonia, now one win away from clinching the outright second half crown, sends Dakota Chalmers to the bump against Lexington tomorrow at 6:15 pm.

Lancaster 6, Charleston 2

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Ariel Sandoval and Trayvon Robinson combined for seven hits on Friday night as the Lancaster Barnstormers captured the series opener from the Charleston Dirty Birds, 6-2, at Appalachian Power Park.

 The win, combined with a Southern Maryland loss at York, drops Lancaster’s magic number for clinching the second half in the North Division to four.  Any combination of four Lancaster wins and Southern Maryland losses over the remaining nine games of the season will send the Barnstormers to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

 Sandoval went 4-for-4 in the win, clubbing a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to open up a 5-2 lead.  Robinson collected two singles and a double.

 Robinson’s RBI single in the top of the third scored Trace Loehr, who had doubled, to score the initial run in the game.  The Barnstormers stretched the lead to 2-0 in the fourth when Jacob Barfield picked up a two-out walk from Derrick Adams (6-9), then stole second.  Anthony Peroni stroked a sinking liner into right field.  Cosimo Cannella tried for the diving catch, and the ball bounced past him to the wall, sending Peroni to third as Barfield scored.

 Nile Ball (10-5) had his only stumble in the bottom of the fourth inning.  The right-hander hit Scott Burcham with his first pitch of the inning.  Edwin Espinal followed with a long double off the wall in right to score the first run.  With one out, Tyler Blaum, who went 3-for-4, singled into right to send Espinal to third.  A bad pickoff throw produced the tying run.

 Lancaster took advantage of Charleston errors in the fifth.  Melvin Mercedes reached on a one-out walk.  Robinson hit a ground ball but survived when Burcham made a wild throw to first.  The throw went out of play, sending Robinson to second.  Andretty Cordero rolled a grounder to short, but Angel Garced threw it away to enable Robinson to score the lead run.  Sandoval followed with his fifth homer as a Barnstormer, a line drive over the boards in left.

 Robinson doubled home Loehr with the final run in the seventh.

 Ball worked six, yielding six hits, while walking one and striking out five.  Brandyn Sittinger, Josh Graham and West Tunnell threw a single scoreless inning each, though Graham and Tunnell both needed 6-4-3 double plays to escape jams.

 Cameron Gann (7-8) will start for the Barnstormers on Saturday against right-hander Alec Kisena (0-3).  Fans may tune into the YouTube Channel, starting at 6:30.

 NOTES:  Ball’s quality start was his 10th…Sandoval has six extra base hits in his last three starts…Robinson has 17 hits in 12 games played on the extended trip…The Barnstormers are now 8-5 on the trip with two games left to play.

High Point 12, Kentucky 3
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The High Point Rockers scored early and scored often in taking a 12-3 win from the Kentucky Genomes at Wild Health Field on Friday night. The victory gives the Rockers a 5.5 game lead over Kentucky in the Atlantic League Wild Card race.

High Point starter Mitch Atkins (W, 2-0) won his second straight start, tossing five innings of four-hit baseball, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three.

Offensively, the Rockers were led by Logan Morrison and Zander Wiel who each had four hits, Quincy Latimore who had a homer and a game-high four RBI, and Jerry Downs who blasted a three-run homer.

The Rockers started the game with bang, scoring four times in the top of the first off Kentucky starter and former Rocker Max Povse (L, 5-10). The first five hitters that High Point sent to the plate slapped base hits: Michael Russell led off the game with a single and was followed by Michael Martinez who also singled. Downs then blasted a three-run homer, his 22^nd of the year. After a double by Morrison and a single by Wiel, Latimore added a sac fly to round out the inning.

Latimore would add a three-run homer in the third, his 19^th of the year, and Morrison added a solo shot in the ninth to bring his season total to 14.

Gabriel Castellanos, Cam Cotter and Bryce Hensley each threw scoreless innings in relief while Junior Rincon yielded a meaningless two runs during his one inning of work.

The Rockers improved to 68-56 overall on the season and reached the .500 mark at 29-29 in the second half of the Atlantic League season.

The Rockers and Genomes play the second game of the three-game series on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Wild Health Field.

Staten Island 6, Long Island 4

(Central Islip, N.Y., Sept. 9, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 6-4 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

 L.J. Mazzilli gave the Ducks an immediate 1-0 lead with a leadoff solo home run to left field off FerryHawks starter Augie Sylk in the bottom of the first inning. Staten Island responded with a pair of two-out runs off Ducks starter Chris Pike in the second on RBI singles by Javier Betancourt and Antoine Duplantis. Long Island tied the game at two in the third on Alejandro De Aza’s RBI fielder’s choice and went in front 3-2 in the fourth on a double play ball that scored Jose Sermo.

 The FerryHawks evened the game at three in the fifth on Ricardo Cespedes’ RBI single to right, but the Ducks reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning when Mazzilli stole home on a double-steal. An RBI single to center by Angel Aguilar in the seventh tied the game at four, and a two-run home run to right by Ramon Osuna in the eighth put Staten Island ahead 6-4.

 Neither starter factored into the decision. Pike tossed six innings of three-run ball, allowing six hits and four walks while striking out three. Sylk lasted five innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Jordan Simpson (2-3) picked up the win after tossing two scoreless innings of relief, walking one and striking out one. Chas Cywin (0-1) took the loss, surrendering two runs on two hits and a walk in one and two-thirds innings. Victor Capellan earned his 20th save of the season with a scoreless ninth, working around a hit and a walk.

 The Ducks and FerryHawks continue their three-game set on Saturday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Fireworks Spectacular, presented by Forte Construction and TAP Electric. It’s also a Lucky Seat Saturday, presented by Long Island MacArthur Airport, and a Lemonade Stand at Main & Vine Wine Down Saturday. Right-hander James Varela (1-1, 4.89) takes the mound for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty Dylan Castaneda (1-0, 3.60).

York 9, Southern Maryland 2

(9/9/2022, York, PA) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs fell to the York Revolution on Friday night by a final score of 9-2.  The Blue Crabs played even with the Revs across the first four and one-half innings, but the Revs took control in the latter stages. 

 Daryl Thompson, (L, 14-5) got the start for the Blue Crabs tonight. Thompson pitched well across the first four innings, allowing only one run.  He ran into trouble in the fifth and sixth, allowing three home runs.  Thompson ultimately pitched six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits.  

 The Revs got the scoring started in the first inning.  With a runner on second, Telvin Nash roped a base hit into center field, scoring Jhon Nunez, and giving York a 1-0 lead. 

 In the third inning, Southern Maryland tied the ballgame off of Deyvis Julian (W, 1-0). With Michael Baca on second, Jack Sundberg punched a single into center, tying the game at 1-1.  The Blue Crabs then took the lead in the fifth.  Zach Collier led off the inning with a double. With Collier on third, Ryan Haug hit a sac fly to center, scoring Zach Collier, to put the Blue Crabs on top 2-1. 

 The lead would be short-lived.  In the bottom of the fifth, Josue Herrera hit a two-run shot over the wall in right, giving York the lead.  In the sixth, Nellie Rodriguez and Melky Mesa hit back-to-back home runs, giving York a 5-2 edge. 

 The Revs added a four-run seventh inning behind three hits and an error off of Connor Law.  Dalton Geekie pitched a scoreless inning in the eighth in the 9-2 loss 

 The Blue Crabs will be back in action tomorrow at 6:30 pm, with Eddie Butler getting the start.