Delwyn Young's Batting Average Dips Way Down To .833, Sharks Win 4-3

Returning to the line up for the first time since a bout of food poisoning sent him to the hospital for nearly a week, Delwyn Young promptly sent the third pitch he saw from Patriots starter Sean Green into orbit. It was the first of two dingers for Young, who finished the night going two for three with two RBI.

The Riversharks scored a run in each of the first four innings of tonight's game versus the Somerset Patriots. All but one, Lloyd Turner's RBI single in the second that scored Eddy Perez, came off solo homers. Young led off the second with another blast that made it 3-0, and Perez led off the fourth with his seventh homer of the year to put Camden up 4-0.

It would be just enough.

Keith Weiser got the start for the 'Sharks tonight and pitched pretty well, only allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. But things looked grim in the seventh, when with one out, and Spencer "No Lead Is Safe" Steedley on the mound, Joe Holden doubled to center, and Dan Hennigan followed up with a single. First and third with one out and the hero of last night's walk off win, Dan DeGeorge, coming up.

Luckily, Steedley got DeGeorge to ground to second. Unluckily, the 'Sharks couldn't complete the double play, getting only the force at second, and letting Holden score from third. But the defensive play of the game came next, when with Yunesky Sanchez batting, Raul Padron prevented any further damage when he caught Hennigan trying to steal for out number three.

Somerset got one more in the eighth when Corey Smith homered off Leo Rosales. John Lujan came on to pitch the ninth, and made a heads up defensive play of his own, throwing out Yusef Carter at second when Holden tried to bunt him over. The Patriots had two men on with two outs, but Lujan got DeGeorge to ground out to end the game and pick up his 22nd save of the year.

Perez Homers Twice In 7-5 Win, Lujan Earns Save #19

SUGAR LAND, Texas – The Riversharks tied the series at two games each against the Skeeters with a win in game four by the final score of 7-5 at Constellation Field in front of 6249 Sunday evening.

Heath Phillips got the call for the Skeeters in the series finale in his 12th start of the season. The lefty carried a one-run lead into the top of the third thanks to Josh Pressley’s RBI single in the first that scored Dominic Ramos after a leadoff double, but struggled when he reached the third. 

Jake Eigsti led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a groundout in the following at-bat. Chris Walker brought him home with an RBI single to tie the game at one-a-piece. Lloyd Turner reached on a single of his own to put runners on first and second with one out in the inning, but the damage came when Eduardo Perez came to the plate.

The right fielder notched his fifth home run of the season with a long-ball to left giving the visitors a 4-1 lead.

Sugar Land battled back in the bottom of the fourth after keeping Camden off the board in the visitor-half of the inning off Keith Weiser (5-5). Matt Hagen led off with a double off the top of the wall in left-center field and was brought home in the next at-bat by Iggy Suarez. The second baseman popped a long shot off the signage of the picnic plaza down the left-field line for his fourth home run of the season to cut the deficit down to one, 4-3.

Pedro Liriano relieved Phillips in the fifth inning with the team down one, but the right hander gave up a one-out solo home run to former major leaguer Pedro Feliz that doubled the lead, 5-3. In the seventh, Liriano again gave up the long ball to the switch-hitting Perez. After cranking a homer off Phillips in the third from the right-side of the plate, Perez knocked a solo shot off Liriano from the left side to increase the lead up to three, 6-3.

The Skeeters scored one run in the bottom of the seventh after Pressley singled and scored on an Octavio Martinez RBI single,6-4, but Camden scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Walker came around on an RBI single from Feliz to re-up the lead to three, 7-4.

John Lujan came in to pitch a scoreless eighth, but in the ninth struggled to get through cleanly. Matt Hagen knocked the seventh home run of the series off Lujan and the second of the game for Sugar Land in the leadoff spot to cut the lead back down to two, 7-5, but Lujan managed to get Ramos to ground into an inning-ending six-unassisted to first double play to end the game.

Hey, Adam? Can We Get Keith Weiser A Proper Riversharks Card, Please??

Keith's 2012 Riversharks card has John Lujan's stats on the back of it. FIX IT!!!

Anyway, The Good Lord Would Never Disrupt The Best Game Of Steve Doetsch's Life

Steve Doetsch's two home run, five RBI night was cut short by thunderstorms, but not before the 'Sharks took a 7-5 lead on the Lancaster Barnstormers into the 8th inning. After the briefest of brief rain delays, the game was declared official.

The 'Sharks have now won two series in a row and are off to a great second half start, taking two of three from the Patriots last week and the 'Stormers this week.

Keith Weiser got the start for Camden tonight but battled control issues. He lasted only three innings, giving up four runs on six hits and walking three.

Luckily, Camden's offense was in a battling mood as well. The two teams traded the lead back and forth all night, but the difference maker was Doetsch's three run blast off JD Durbin that made it 7-5. Spencer Steedley cruised through two innings of scoreless relief before the game was eventually called.

Notes: Lloyd Turner returned to the lineup tonight but didn't have a very productive night at the plate, finishing 0 for 4.

Just as last night's game ended with a tremendous on-the-run catch by 'Stormers outfielder Blake Gailen, tonight's first out for the 'Sharks came when right fielder Eduardo Perez made a spectacular leaping catch in the alley to rob Bridger Hunt.

Tonight's game featured an 8-3 DP by the 'Stormers and a 3-2-3 DP by the 'Sharks.

El Scorcho By Weiser

Keith Weiser threw six innings of shutout baseball and the Camden Riversharks provided just enough offense to defeat the Lancaster Barnstormers 2-1 tonight at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Weiser allowed five hits while striking out three in his longest outing this season.

The 'Sharks got to Lancaster starter John Halama early. In the first, Chris Walker led off with a single, stole second, and took third on a throwing error by catcher Emerson Frostad. A Lloyd Turner sac fly scored Walker, and two batters later Raul Padron's RBI single scored Brian Burgamy to make it 2-0.

Which it would remain for nearly the entire game. Weiser got some help from the 'Sharks defense, the 'Stormers grounded into two inning ending double plays in the first and third.

Spencer Steedley worked a scoreless inning in relief of Weiser, and the got the 'Stormers to ground into ANOTHER inninng ending double play in the seventh.

Lancaster's lone run came in the eighth off reliever Zach Hammes. Jaime Pedroza's ground out scored pinch hitter Terry Tifee from third to cut the lead to 2-1. But that was as close as the 'Stormers would get. John Lujan came on in the ninth and retired the side in order to earn his Atlantic League leading 14th save.

Notes: Scary moment for Brian Burgamy, in the third he was hit squarely on the knee by an errant Halama pitch that sent him sprawling at the plate. It looked awful, but he quickly recovered and jogged to first.

At first I thought it was a mistake, but turns out John Halama hit for himself tonight in the #9 spot. He laid down a pretty solid sac bunt in the fifth to advance Ryan Harvey to third base.

'Sharks Squash Skeeters In A Slugfest

With the bases loaded in the 8th inning, Marquez Smith took a 3-2 fastball from Skeeters reliever Kelvin Villa and crushed it over the left field wall for a grand slam. It was the coup de grâce for Sugarland, as they fell to the Camden Riversharks tonight by a score of 12-5.

The Skeeters struck first when Dominic Ramos led off the game with a triple, and scored when Bubba Bell singled him in to make it 1-0. An error by Alvin Colina later in the inning allowed Bell to score. 

But that was the only time Sugarland would enjoy a lead. The 'Sharks bats came alive tonight against Skeeters pitching. In the bottom of the first, Colina's sac fly to center scored Paddy Matera, and an Eduardo Perez double scored Smith and Brian Burgamy to make it 3-2 'Sharks. 

In the second, Ramos took Keith Weiser deep to left for his fourth home run of the season, tying the game a 3-3. Ramos came within one single of hitting for the cycle, going 3 for 5 on the night with 2 RBI.

Camden got three more in the bottom of the frame, a double from Smith scored Patty Matera, and Burgamy's two run blast, his 5th of 2012, made it 6-3 'Sharks. 

The Skeeters cut the lead to 6-5 in the 4th on RBI doubles from Ramos and Iggy Suarez.

A solo shot from Burgamy in the 5th added some insurance, and the huge, 5 run eighth inning sealed Sugarland's fate. Weiser gets the win, but the bullpen combo of Jeff Farnsworth, Spencer Steedley, Zach Hammes and John Lujan deserves credit for shutting down the Skeeters the rest of the night, allowing no runs and just two hits in four innings of relief.

Ah Yes, The Old 3-5-2-5-4-5 Double Play. That Old Chestnut.

Colina is never, EVER getting this jersey back.

It didn't take long for Scott Knazek to make an impact with his new squad.

The 27 year old catcher was released from the Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League on Wednesday. Tonight, inserted into the 'Sharks lineup and wearing Alvin Colina's #25 jersey, Knazek launched the first pitch he saw from 'Stormers righty Mark Brackman over the left field wall.

The Barnstormers got on the board first, when in the top of the first Fehlandt Lentini took a Keith Weiser fastball deep over the wall in left center. But the 'Sharks answered back in the bottom of the frame when Drew Macias homered to right to tie it at 1-1.

Macias blasted a line drive over the right field wall to tie the game.

Billy Rice took advantage of right fielder Ryan Harvey's fielding error in the bottom of the second, stretching a ball that should have been caught into a one out triple. Then Steven Doetsch hit into the weirdest double play I've ever seen, going 3-5-2-5-4-5 to get Rice breaking for home and Doetsch halfway between 2nd and 3rd.

Knazek's 2 run homer followed in the 3rd. Lancaster would tie the game at 3 in the fourth, when a Jaime Pedroza single scored Jesus Merchan and Kody Kirkland. But the Riversharks pulled ahead in the bottom of the frame when RBI singles from Knazek, Chris Walker and Lloyd Turner made it 6-3.

The bullpen combo of Kyle Reese, Jason Bergamann and John Lujan combined for 7 strikeouts in relief of Weiser, and shut the door on any hopes of a 'Stormers late inning rally. Weiser gets the win, his first of 2012. Lujan gets the save, his second.

Sharks win!! 

Everybody (On The Barnstormers) Hits

For a while, things looked good for the Camden Riversharks tonight.

 Trailing the 'Stormers 3-0 going into the bottom of the 4th, Chris Walker led off the inning with a triple. Lloyd Turner singled in Walker, and Brian Burgamy and Eduardo Perez both walked. Drew Macias drove in Turner and Burgamy with a single to left, and suddenly the game was tied.

 Starter Keith Weiser retired Lancaster in order in the top of the fifth, and the 'Sharks took a 5-3 lead when Brian Burgamy smoked a ball to the outfield fence, scoring Turner and Felix Pie.

 Enter Blake King.

King subbed for Weiser in the top of the sixth, hereafter to be know as "the inning the wheels fell off". Lancaster scored four runs, on only one hit. The 'Sharks committed three errors, and the combination of King and Zach Hammes walked four batters.

The 'Stormers led 7-5, and never trailed again. Tacking on 8 MORE RUNS in the 7th and 8th innings, the final score was Lancaster 15, Camden 5.

Barnstormers shortstop Jesus Marchan had a career night, going 5 for 6 with an RBI.

'Sharks DH Colin Roberson FINALLY got a hit, doubling his average to a gaudy .077.