Somerset's Sultan Of Swat
by Mike Ashmore
August 24, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat

Last Wednesday's game seemed no different than any of the other 97 games second baseman George Sandel had played in Commerce Bank Ballpark.

This particular game, against the Newark Bears, went into the bottom of the seventh inning with Somerset clinging to a 2-0 lead against starter David Shepard. With the count 2-2, Shepard fired home and Sandel swung. His bat met the ball perfectly, sending the solid white orb far into the night sky in right field.

So far, in fact, that in his 290th at-bat with the Patriots faithful looking on, George Sandel had hit his very first home run in front of them.

Both Shepard and the fans acknowledged the feat; with Shepard throwing up his hands in disgust and a group of season ticket holders near the home dugout giving him a standing ovation.

"He was throwing me in the first two at-bats," Sandel said. "I'd hit a pretty good single off of him in the at-bat before, but this at-bat it was all away. I figured he had to come in some time, so I was sitting in and he threw a cutter and I got it."

As a reward of sorts, Sandel received the silent treatment from his teammates upon entering the dugout, something he knew was coming.

"I was rounding third and I saw them all in there talking," he said. "And I was like here we go."

Known more for his glove than his bat, it was just his third home run over a four year professional career. All three of those longballs have come in a Patriots uniform, with the first two going over the short porch in Lancaster. Coincidentally both came off of the same pitcher, the Barnstormers' Joe Dooley.

The Florida native did hit eight home runs in three years for UNC-Charlotte in college, so thoughts that Sandel could become Somerset's new sultan of swat might not be so far-fetched after all.

"Hopefully there's some more coming over the next month and a half," he said. "I had a bad start, but I'm glad that's over with. Hopefully we can put some more hits together and get into the playoffs."

The playoffs are looking further and further away for the Patriots, sitting at 14-19 in the second half and recovering from the losses of MVP candidate Ryan Radmanovich and everyday shortstop Kevin Nicholson.

Regardless, having been a part of Somerset's championship team last year, Sandel isn't concerned just yet.

"We're hands down the best team on paper," he said. "It just seems like we haven't been able to keep it going. We win one, we lose one. If we pitch, we don't hit. If we hit, we don't pitch. But we'll put it together, we'll be fine."

SomerStuff: On the heels of the best performance by any Somerset starter this season, the author of it departed. Robert Averette, who threw 8.1 scoreless innings last Wednesday against Newark, asked for and received his release last Friday.

Averette, who cited family reasons for requesting his release, was 5-1 for the Patriots at the time of his departure and was emerging as the staff ace.

Contact Mike: mashmore@atlanticleaguebaseball.com

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