The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Lancaster, Penn. – The Somerset Patriots (18-17, 60-45) put on a dominant performance both on the mound and at the plate in a 6-1 defeat of the Lancaster Barnstormers (22-15, 60-46) in Sunday’s series-finale at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
Somerset struck first in the first inning for the fourth-straight game. Justin Pacchioli and Carlos Guzman both added RBI singles to get the Patriots in front 2-0 early.
Justin Trapp later helped increase the Somerset lead to 5-0 with an RBI single in the fourth and a two-out, two-run single up the middle in the fifth. Yovan Gonzalez topped off the scoring for the Patriots in the seventh with an RBI double down the left-field line.
Lancaster added a run in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out Cole Garner RBI single, but the comeback effort ended there.
Starting pitcher Mike Antonini (1-0) turned in one of the most impressive starts of the year for Somerset. The southpaw tossed five shutout innings with a 2017 Patriots-high 10 strikeouts. Additionally, he only yielded two base runners (one hit and one walk) to earn the win.
“[Antonini] was really challenging guys and moving the ball in and out well today,” said Somerset Patriots pitching coach Cory Domel after the game. “They had some big and aggressive swings up there, so I thought he and Donachie did well to mix and match some pitches and keep them off balance.”
Four different Patriots relief pitchers combined to strike out five batters over the final four innings of the game to set a new season-high of 15 combined strikeouts in a single game.
Joe Gardner (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and four walks over four and 2/3 innings.
The Patriots have Monday off before opening up a four-game series against the Long Island Ducks on Tuesday. First pitch at TD Bank Ballpark is set for 7:05 p.m.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. For more information, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 36 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
