With five Barnstormers in the starting lineup for the Freedom Division, Lancaster had a chance to leave their mark on the 2016 Atlantic League All-Star game. They did just that, as the Freedom Division defeated Liberty 3-1.
Outfielder Caleb Gindl had multiple highlights, showing off both his bat and his arm in the outfield. In the fourth inning Freedom had not recorded a hit and trailed Liberty 1-0. Gindl rewrote the script; drilling a solo home run over the right field wall to tie the game.
Gindl was not done leaving his mark in the July classic.
In the top of the sixth inning, Jonathan Rosa of the New Britian Bees hit a leadoff double, but was thrown out at home plate by Gindl in a play that ended the inning and Liberty’s threat to score. Gindl had just been moved over to center after playing the first five innings of the game in right field.
Former Barnstormer and current York Revolution Travis Witherspoon started the game in center-field for Freedom.
Gindl’s effort was enough to award him as the game’s MVP, voted on by members of the media.
An inning after Gindl delivered the solo shot that tied the game, two more Barnstormers were able to put some solid swings on the ball and give Freedom the lead. Left fielder Sean Halton singled with one out and came home on a tie-breaking RBI single by catcher Charlie Cutler. Andreas Perez of York, who singled right after Halton, also scored in the inning on a wild pitch by Patrick Crider of the Long Island Ducks. Crider has the top ERA in the Liberty division – 0.90 – in 20 innings pitched.
Despite giving up the lead, Liberty was the irst to get on the scoreboard. With two outs in the first, Rosa walked and Bryan Lahair of the Somerset Patriots singled. With runners on first and second, Jose Cuevas of the Bridgeport Bluefish hit a ball to Barnstormers shortstop Kevin Ahrens. Ahrens bobbled the ball, and made an inaccurate throw to first base. Rosa would score on the error.
Ricardo Gomez of York was the winning pitcher of the game, pitching the fifth inning and picking up a strikeout. Crider picked up the loss, also pitching the fifth inning and allowing two earned runs on three hits, a walk and two strikeouts. He faced seven batters.
Both teams each had 13 positional players. Liberty had nine pitchers, Freedom had 10. All players elected to the All-Star game got into the game.
Note: The stats recorded in the All-Star game will not count toward each individual player’s regular season stats.
8,466 fans came out to Clipper Magazine Stadium on Wednesday evening for the second Atlantic League All-Star game held in Lancaster. Despite an hour-long rain delay that resulted in the cancellation of the scheduled home run derby, the crowd om-hand was the second largest in Clipper Magazine Stadium’s history, which dates back to 2005.
The 2017 Atlantic League All-Star game will take place from Bridgewater, New Jersey at TD Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots.
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