The Newark Bears beat the Lancaster Barnstormers 4-1 Monday night to salvage a split of the four-game series. The game did not start off well for the Bears. Ramiro Mendoza gave up a leadoff single to Lloyd Turner. Turner stole second and scored on Matt Watson’s single to give Lancaster a 1-0 lead.

The Bears tied the game on Rob Mackowiak’s solo homer in the second off Eric Ackerman. In the fourth, Carl Everett hit a solo shot that cleared the high netting over the left field wall. In over 100 games, I never saw a ball leave Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium over the left field netting. This series, I’ve seen it twice. For good measure, Michael Hernandez hit a two-run homer off Ackerman to extend the lead to 4-1.

Mendoza scattered four hits and three walks over seven innings, but he got into trouble a few times. The Barnstormers had runners on first and third with one out in the third, and had the bases loaded in the fifth. Both times, Mendoza got an inning-ending double play to get out of trouble.

Cory Willey pitched the eighth and Armando Benitez pitched the ninth to earn the save.

Tuesday, the Somerset Patriots begin their final series in Newark this year. Somerset third baseman Jeff Nettles took exception to the way Michael Sandoval ran around the bases after he hit a home run the last time the two teams faced each other, so it will be interesting to see if anything develops from that.