(Editor's Note: The Atlantic League set a record for the most home runs hit in a season tonight. The previous record had been 1,354 homers in 2022. Coming into games of August 31, ALPB clubs had hit 1,345 homers and the 10 clubs combined to hit 11 tonight, pushing the record to 1,356).

Lancaster 5, Charleston 2

Andretty Cordero belted a two-run homer in the seventh inning to seal a 5-2 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds and a sweep of the three-game series at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

 In the process, Cordero reached 100 RBI for the second consecutive season, the first player in the 25-year history of the Atlantic League to do so.

 With all four teams involved in the North race winning on Thursday evening, the standings remained the status quo with the Barnstormers leading Southern Maryland by two while Staten Island and York trail by four.

 Jack Conley led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk against Jacob Bosiokovic (3-4).  Conley stole second, and Trace Loehr followed with a bunt toward third.  Justin O’Conner fielded the bunt but lost his footing.  The Charleston third baseman still attempted the play but made a wild throw past first baseman Telvin Nash, allowing Conley to score the tiebreaking run.  Loehr was thrown out going to second, but Melvin Mercedes reignited the offense with a single to right.  Cordero followed with his 14^th homer of the season, a drive onto the right field deck.

 Lancaster pushed a run home on Joseph Carpenter’s infield single in the bottom of the first.  Charleston drew into a tie in the second on a single to left by Isaias Tejeda, O’Conner’s double down the third base line on a wild pitch.  Conley doubled with one out in the bottom of the second, but Trayvon Robinson was thrown out at the plate.  Loehr followed with a single to give the Barnstormers a 2-1 edge.

 Jeff Bain worked the first five innings for Lancaster, allowing four hits and a run.  Nile Ball pitched a hitless sixth.  Zach Warren (3-4) yielded a leadoff homer down the right field line by Tejeda in the seventh, then did not allow the ball out of the infield to the next ten batters as the left-hander finished off the game for the win.

 Lancaster will open a four-game Labor Day Weekend series at Long Island Friday night.  Brent Teller (10-5) will make the start for the Barnstormers against right-hander Robert Stock (8-3).  Fans may tune in on FloBaseball, beginning at 6:30.

 NOTES:  The Barnstormers have reached a peak of nine games over .500 in the second half and are within four games of .500 overall for the first time since June 12…The Barnstormers played without Ariel Sandoval, who sustained an injury while making his ESPN Top Ten Play on Wednesday night…Carpenter batted third for the first time this year and went 2-for-4…Cordero has hit safely in 11 straight…Conley’s steal in the seventh was his club-leading 28^th of the year.

So. Maryland 7, High Point 4
WALDORF, Md. – Southern Maryland leftfielder Jimmy Kerrigan hit a pair of homers and drove in six runs as the Blue Crabs handed the High Point Rockers a 7-4 defeat on Thursday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.

With Gastonia sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Spire City, the Rockers find themselves in second place in the Atlantic League’s South Division. The Rockers, 28-16, trail the Honey Hunters, 30-15, by 1.5 games.

Shed Long, Jr. led off the game with a stand-up triple  and gave the Rockers a 1-0 lead when Ben Aklinski singled him home.

The Blue Crabs tied the game in the second when High Point starter Mickey Jannis (L, 11-5) walked Khalil Lee who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Alex Crosby grounded to Michael Martinez at short and Martinez opted to toss Lee out at third. However, the throw hit Lee and caromed into the So. Maryland dugout, allowing Lee to score. The Blue Crabs went up 2-1 in the fourth when Braxton Lee walked, moved to second on an infield ground out and scored on a single by Jimmy Kerrigan.

The Rockers tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth when Quincy Latimore drew a walk and was replaced at first base by designated pinch-runner Joe Johnson. A wild pitch from Blue Crab starter Daryl Thompson (W, 5-2) sent Johnson to second. He scored when Daikan Yoh bounced a ball back up the middle and into center field.

So. Maryland reclaimed the lead at 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Braxton Lee and Khalil Lee each singled and then scored on a three-run homer to left by Kerrigan. Jannis then allowed a single to K.C. Hobson and a walk to Isaias Quiroz before Jeremy Rhoades was summoned from the bullpen. Michael Baca singled to left but the inning ended when Wiel threw out Hobson at the plate.

With one out in the seventh, Long, Jr. hit a ground rule double to left-center and moved to third when Ryan Grotjohn flew out to left. Aklinski drove home Long, Jr. with a double that chased Thompson from the game in favor of Andre Scrubb. Wiel greeted Scrubb with a double that plated Aklinski and cut the Rockers’ deficit to a single run at 5-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, with Sam Selman on the mound for the Rockers, Crosby opened the inning with a single and then Kerrigan hit his second homer of the game to put the Blue Crabs back in front 7-4.

Aklinski drove in two runs for the Rockers with his two hits. Kerrigan finished three-for-four with two homers and six RBI. The win for Thompson was the 96^th of his Atlantic League career. He is the all-time win leader in the league.

The Rockers will open their final regular season homestand of the season on Friday, Sept. 1 as the Rockers host the York Revolution. Friday’s first pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr app.

NOTES: Centerfielder D.J. Burt was given the night off so shortstop Ryan Grotjohn made his first start of the year in center… Michael Martinez was at short… Aklinski is the league’s second-hafl RBI leader with 61.

Gastonia 6, Spire City 4 (Game 1)
Gastonia 8, Spire City 2 (Game 2)

Gastonia regained the lead in the South Division of the Atlantic League with a 6-4, 8-2 sweep of visiting Spire City on Thursday night.

In the opener, the Honey Hunters won in a walk-off as Scott Manea hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give Gastonia a 6-4 win.

In the nightcap, Gastonia scored four times in the third on a Steven Moya grand slam. The Honey Hunters added three more runs in the fourth on a Jake Hoover RBI single and a two-run double from Kevin Santa.

For Spire City, Raudy Read homered in the opener and Kole Cottam homered in the night cap.

York 10, Long Island 6

(York, Pa., Aug. 31, 2023) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the York Revolution 10-6 on Thursday night in the final game of a four-game series at WellSpan Park.

Long Island took a 1-0 lead versus York starting pitcher J.T. Hintzen just four batters into the ballgame as Sam Travis plated Alex Dickerson with a one-out double into the left field corner after Dickerson singled right back through the originator earlier in the frame. The Revolution sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the third against Ducks starter Kyle Lobstein and scored four times to take a 4-1 lead, highlighted by run-scoring singles from Alexis Pantoja and Troy Stokes Jr, and a two-run triple by Trey Martin.

The visitors got to within 4-2 in the fourth as Alejandro De Aza plated Dickerson with a sacrifice fly, who led off the inning with a two-base hit. Long Island cut their deficit to 5-3 in the fifth as Ruben Tejada drove home Joe DeCarlo with a two-out single to center field. After five York runs came across one half-inning later, the Flock cut into the Revs advantage in the sixth as DeCarlo cracked a three-run home run over the Arch Nemesis in left to make it 10-6, but that was as close as Long Island would get as the Revolution were able to come away with the series victory.

Hintzen (9-6) picked up the win, allowing six runs on nine hits (one home run) across six innings pitched, striking out five. Lobstein (4-5) suffered the loss, giving up ten runs (nine earned) on ten hits over four and two-thirds innings on the mound, walking four and striking out three.

DeCarlo had two-extra base hits, including a double and a home run, along with three runs batted in and a run scored, and has now tied his season-high in home runs with 14 while also extending his on-base streak in the process to 23 consecutive games overall.

Long Island returns home on Friday, September 1, to begin a four-game series with the Lancaster Barnstormers. 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). The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive Chef Hat Rubber Duckies, courtesy of The Hidden Gem Cafe.

It’s also a Tap Room Friday at the ballpark, and Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for 20% off your entire meal at The Tap Room as fans exit the ballpark following the game. It’s a Grand Slam Friday as well, and the sixth inning will be designated as the Grand Slam Inning. If the Ducks fourth batter of the inning launches a home run with the bases loaded, one lucky fan will win $25,000. Right-hander Robert Stock (8-3, 3.74) gets the nod for the Flock against Barnstormers righty Brent Teller (10-5, 5.64).

Staten Island 11, Lexington 3

Staten Island used four multiple run innings to down Lexington 11-3 Thursday night in Lexington. Justin Williams hit a two-run homer as part of a four-RBI night. Chris Brito had three hits including a pair of doubles, and two RBI for the Ferry Hawks. Thomas Dillard had three hits to lead the Counter Clocks.