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When the game reached the two-hour, 30-minute mark, the Lancaster Barnstormers were clinging to a one-run lead.
That in itself wasn't particularly noteworthy. The fact that there were 19 runs on the board and it was only the top of the sixth inning was another story.
Yes, this was Atlantic League baseball at its absolute best — or worst, depending on your perspective.
The journey to 27 outs was a long, slow crawl.
Newark got there first. The Bears, who are built to win wild slugfests like this one, pulled out a 12-10 win at Clipper Magazine Stadium Wednesday night.
Not surprisingly, that 10-9 lead the Barnstormers owned after five innings didn't hold.
"You never come to expect games like this," outfielder Mike Woods said. "When they come, you go out there and you battle. You try to make the most of it. Obviously, they got the better of us tonight."
During the first two games of this three-game series, Newark has put on an incredible offensive show.
The Bears, who won 19-7 Tuesday night, have collected 31 runs on 42 hits in the span of 18 innings. They've batted .457 as a team during that stretch.The Barnstormers seemed to be in decent shape heading into the top of the fifth. They were leading 6-1 and starter Erik Dessau appeared to be in control.
Under normal circumstances, that's a fairly comfortable situation.
But facing Newark in this hitter-friendly ballpark doesn't qualify as normal circumstances. It's a recipe for offensive fireworks.
"Every inning we have an opportunity to score and we don't get as many runs as we should get, that's exactly what you're thinking about," Barnstormers manager Von Hayes said. "You need to really tack on. There doesn't seem to be enough runs out there. Tonight was a case where every step of the way was like pulling teeth."
The Bears rallied from their big early deficit with effortless ease. They scored eight runs in the fifth.
How'd they do it? They used the longball and they didn't need much help from the cozy right-field dimensions at the Clip.
Willis Otanez ripped a three-run homer and Raul Gonzalez launched a two-run blast to start the uprising. Both of those shots were to straightaway left. Former Barnstormer Manny Mejia capped the eight-run rally with a two-run fly ball off the short porch.
To their credit, the Barnstormers recovered. They answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, three coming on Woods' homer, to briefly pull in front 10-9. That was Lancaster's final lead.
(1118) (782) (506) (418) (390) (154) (128) (124) (96) (83) (48) (46) (37) (7) (3) (2) (2)The fifth inning included a combined 12 runs on 12 hits. It took more than an hour to complete and 20 batters were sent to the plate.
Woods registered the Barnstormers' first five-hit game since Quincy Foster accomplished the feat during the 2005 season. Woods went 5-for-6 with a homer, double and three singles. He also stole a base.
Even that Herculean effort couldn't overcome Newark's offensive juggernaut.
That's life in the Atlantic League.
"It's very different," Hayes said. "You're afraid every time somebody walks or after a broken-bat single. You're fearful it's going to turn into a six- or seven-run inning."
After the three hours and 46 minutes of craziness ended, the Barnstormers were staring at their sixth loss in the last seven games. They fell to 20-25 in the second half and remained five games behind York in the Freedom Division.
In some aspects, this night — while unusual — also typified the Barnstormers' season. No matter how much they do, they usually end up a little short.
Notes: The Barnstormers placed Eric Ackerman on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. The lefty allowed nine runs in 2 1/3 innings against Newark on Tuesday. This is his second stint on the DL … The team has placed outfielder Michael Campbell on the inactive list. He left for personal reasons … Shortstop Danny Gonzalez left Wednesday night's game with an injured shoulder.
E-mail: jguarente@lnpnews.com
