The Week Ahead: Five teams are within 2.5 games of first place as the Atlantic League enters the final three weeks of the first half. North leader York and South leader Gastonia hold narrow 1.5 game leads over their nearest competition. High Point and So. Maryland start this week in second place in their respective divisions though both had tastes of first place last week.

 

The Week that Was: Long Island’s 13-11 win over York on 6/17 marked the 1,581st in franchise history and lifted the Ducks past Somerset (1,580 wins) as the Atlantic League all-time win leader...  The only series sweeps last week were York over Lancaster and Gastonia over Staten Island.

 

Streaking: So. Maryland’s Alex Crosby is riding a 13-game hitting streak… Charleston’s Dwight Smith, Jr. has reached base in 21 straight… York’s Jacob Rhinesmith has scored a run in 10 consecutive games… Long Island’s Alex Dickerson has driven in a run in each of his last eight contests… Long Island’s Al Alburquerque has not allowed a run in 17 straight appearances.

 

Walk-offs: Long Island’s Sam Travis singled home Ruben Tejada as Long Island walked-off Charleston on 6/13… High Point’s Brian Parreira singled in the 10th to walk-off Frederick on 6/13… Lexington’s Hector Roa singled home Thomas Dillard in an 11-10 win vs. Frederick on 6/16.

 

Homer Heroes: Lexington had a 6-run seventh inning vs. Frederick on 6/16 when Thomas Dillard, Connor Owings, and Hector Roa hit back-to-back-to-back home runs... Long Island’s Chance Sisco pounded three home runs in a 13-11 win on 6/17.

 

A Month of Homers: Gastonia has homered in every game since May 19 with 62 homers in its last 27 games.

 

Milestones: Gastonia became the first ALPB club to reach 30 wins with a victory over Staten Island on 6/16…Daryl Thompson struck out his 1,000th career Atlantic League hitter when he fanned Gastonia’s Braxton Davidson leading off the seventh inning on 6/14… Late Inning Heroics: So. Maryland scored six runs in the top of the ninth on 6/14 to defeat Gastonia 10-9… 

 

Midweek Marvels: Gastonia hit six home runs in a 10-9 home loss to So. Maryland… So. Maryland’s Ryan Haug hit .667 (4-for-6) in two games vs. Gastonia… Gastonia’s J.C. Escarra had three homers vs. So. Maryland while Lexington’s Thomas Dillard drove in 10 runs in the Counter Clocks series vs. Staten Island… Lexington’s Ronnie Dawson led the midweek series with four doubles while High Point’s Shed Long, Jr. had four stolen bases vs. Frederick… Gastonia’s Gunnar Kines fanned 10 against the Blue Crabs on 6/13… York’s Victor Capellan earned a pair of saves in the sweep of Lancaster… Both Ronnie Dawson of Lexington (6/13) and Jhon Nunez of York (6/15) tied the league high with three doubles in a game…

 

Weekend Wonders: K.C. Hobson of So. Maryland hit .583 (7-of-12) over the weekend vs. High Point... High Point’s Zander Wiel knocked in a weekend-best eight runs... Wiel, Gastonia’s Zach Jarrett and Long Island’s Chance Sisco each hit three homers on the weekend... Sisco slashed .538/1.500/2.038 vs. York... Lexington’s J.C. Encarnacion swiped four bases vs. Frederick on the weekend.

 

Pitching Plaudits: Lancaster’s Jesus Liranzo pitched an immaculate inning vs. Charleston in the top of the eighth. A called strike was followed by eight swinging strikeouts… Nine relievers for both Charleston and Lancaster combined to throw nine innings of one-hit baseball with just two walks and 14 strikeouts in the Dirty Birds’ 5-4 win on 6/17… Gastonia’s Gunnar Kines struck out 10 in 6.2 shutout innings vs. So. Maryland on 6/13… Four Long Island pitchers combined to three-hit Charleston in a 2-0 win on 6/14… Lancaster’s Brandyn Sittinger and three relievers tossed a two-hitter at the Dirty Birds on 6/18… Frederick’s David Kubiak held Lexington to three hits over seven innings on 6/18… Charleston pitchers fanned 16 Lancaster hitters in 11 innings on 6/17.

 

Team Efforts: High Point scored 10 runs, all with two outs, in the first inning of a 14-2 win over So. Maryland on 6/18… Gastonia tied the league season-high with six homers vs. So. Maryland on 6/14.