The Lancaster Barnstormers pounded out 13 hits and jumped out to a big early lead as they took the middle game of this three-game series by a final score of 7-2 at Regency Furniture Stadium. The Blue Crabs have now matched their season-long with a five game losing streak.
Lancaster (14-7) jumped all over starter Ian Marshall in the top of the 1st for five runs. Cole Garner drove in the first run of the night with an RBI single that plated Greg Golson. Later in the inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Austin Gallagher hit a bases-clearing double to make it 4-0. Casey Frawley followed with an RBI single to cap off the five-run first for the Barnstormers.
Fred Lewis tacked on another run for the Barnstormers in the 5th inning. With Blake Gailen at third base, Lewis lined a single through the drawn in infield to extend the lead to 6-0.
Southern Maryland (9-12) broke up the shutout in the bottom of the 7th. The Blue Crabs loaded the bases and got back-to-back RBI singles by Jared McDonald and Jeremy Owens to cut the deficit to 6-2. That would be all the Crabs would get though as the Lancaster Barnstormers bullpen retired three straight batters with the bases loaded to escape further trouble.
The Barnstormers got one of those runs back in the top of the 8th. Gailen doubled down the left field line to plate Golson and increase the advantage to 7-2.
Making his first start in the Atlantic League, Joe Gardner (1-0) fired five scoreless innings yielding just three hits with seven strikeouts for the win. Barnstomers’ starters in this series have yet to allow a run in ten innings pitched. Marshall (0-2) began the night with a scoreless inning streak of 14 innings but that was snapped quickly after the five-run first. He took the loss six runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings pitched.
