Red Men bounce back with victory over Barnstormers

Coming into Wednesday’s West Chester Adult League baseball game, the Red Men had lost three tough games in a row and they felt they could have won all three.

Wednesday evening, the Red Men got a great starting pitching performance from Alex Cornell and a four-hit game from Joe Hurley, including a tworun homer, for a 9-5 win over the Barnstormers at Hoopes Park.

The Red Men scored in each of the first four innings and built a 9-1 cushion before surrendering four eighth-inning runs to the Barnstormers (1-5). Cornell allowed just one run and four hits in four innings of work and he picked up the win.

“We needed a win badly and our starting pitcher did a nice job and threw strikes,” Red Men manager Chuck Cooper said. “And Joe Hurley had a big night for us. Hurley and Hunter Hall are both locked in right now and that is why they have moved up in the batting order.”

With the score tied at 1-1 after the first inning, the Red Men (3-5) went to work. in the top the second inning Jeff Hagan led off with a sharp single to left field. After a force out and a strikeout, Hurley hit a fastball high and deep over the right field fence for a 3-1 Red Men lead.

After plating another run in the top of the third inning for a 3-1 advantage, the Red Men went to work, putting the game out of reach with a five-run fourth inning. Matt Samson led off the inning with a walk and Hurley followed with a double to right center, putting two Red Men runners on with no outs.

After a walk to Hall loaded the bases, Brendan O’Donnelll was hit by a pitch and it was a 4-1 Red Men lead. Tom Armstrong then roped a fastballd deep to left field for a basesclearing three-run double and an 8-1 lead. Armstrong scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Hagan and it was a 9-1 game.

“I was seeing the ball real well tonight and I was putting good swings on the ball,” said Hurley, a junior at Penn State. “Tonight, we got good pitching to go along with our offense and

good fielding. We needed a win real bad tonight.”

The Barnstormers came back to score four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning off the Red Men bullpen. The Barnstormers scored those four runs on just two hits but were aided by four walks.

Brendan O’Donnell came in to pitch the seventh inning and he set the Barnstormers down in order.

“We lost some tough games last week, and it was good to get this one.” Cooper said.