The Lancaster Barnstormers were dominating the York Revolution this season. That is, before the Revs came to Lancaster over the weekend.

On Sunday afternoon, York scored six runs in the ninth inning off new 'Stormers closer Antonio Alfonseca to beat Lancaster, 10-5.

After losing to the 'Stormers on Thursday, York took the series, winning the next three. The Revs, who had a horrible start to their season, appear to be turning things around. They are now 7-4 since the all-star break.

Meanwhile, the Barnstormers, who have lost 10 of their last 13, are still looking for answers they hope will come before the season's second half starts on Friday.

Alfonseca was to be one of those answers and he still may be turn out to be a huge asset. But, so far, he's had three save opportunities, and twice, including Sunday, he has failed.

"I don't think we can hang this one on him," Lancaster manager Von Hayes said of Alfonseca's effort. "He made some quality pitches. He made a double play pitch, which is what we needed. We just didn't turn the double play. We turn the double play, the game's over and that (not getting the double play) opened the floodgates for them."

Entering the ninth, Lancaster had a 5-4 lead. Alfonseca gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Carl Rogelstad. Matt Esqivel hit a grounder to short that Lloyd Turner threw to second baseman Danny Bravo for the first out. But Rogelstad's slide prevented Bravo, who threw wide to first, from completing the double play.

The Revs had the tying run on first with one out, a situation that a closer with Alfonseca's experience would usually still finsh with a positive result.

"You would think so," Hayes said. "But it just seems that, defensively, if we don't make a play we should make, they turn into big innings."

After a Keoni De Renne single, Pete Rose Jr. singled off the wall in right and Esquivel scored the tying run. DH Tom Collaro's broken-bat RBI single blooped down the right-field line and fell just fair in between Bravo, right fielder Ryan Mulhern and first baseman Bryan Sabatella.

That scored De Renne, making it 6-5. A walk to Jason Aspito loaded the bases and a grand slam by Matt Padgett ended the scoring and Alfonseca's day.

"They're a hungry team," Hayes said of York. "They've lost a lot of games in the first half and you have to take advantage of the situation when you're there and when you don't, they're going to beat you.

"Everybody knows that they're not as bad as their record indicated. They got off to a tough start, but they're going to be better. And they're playing better and we didn't play well this series."

At the start of the game, it looked like it was going to be a Lancaster laugher. The first six 'Stormers reached base. A Sabetella RBI double and a Mike Woods two-run homer off York starter Dan Foli made it 3-0.

Jed Morris walked and Aaron Herr and Gerard Haran both singled to load the bases and still there were no outs. But Foli got a stikeout and a double-play grounder to end the inning.

"That's probably an inning we finish off next week (with more runs)," Hayes said looking forward to the signing of local product Matt Watson and outfielder L.J. Biernbaum getting into the lineup after coming off the disabled list. "When we get a couple of those bats in the lineup, it's definitely going to help us. We're looking forward to better times ahead."

Eric Junge made the start for the Barnstormers, pitching six innings. Junge missed his previous start and had been placed on the inactive list because of a pending deal with a Korean team, which fell through.

Junge struggled in the first three innings. The first two batters reached in the first and second, but he kept the Revs off the board. In the third, Collaro's bases-loaded double tied the game at 3-3.

Junge settled down, facing the minimum in his final three innings, and he was in line to get the win after Lancaster took a 4-3 lead in the sixth. He stuck out seven, including the side in the fifth.

"At the beginning, since he had such a long layoff, he was having trouble feeling with his fastball," Hayes said of Junge. "He was having better success with his breaking ball, his slider. … Then (he) settled down and got back to form. It's a tough game for him, but it's a game we definitely should have won."

Esquivel made a diving catch of a Turner's liner in the sixth to turn it into a sacrifice fly that gave Lancaster a 4-3 lead. Had the ball goten by the left fielder, two runs would have scored.

Lancaster added another run in the seventh to take a 5-3 lead. Woods walked, stole second and scored when York reliever Jason Kershner threw a sacrifice bunt attempt by Morris past first and down the right-field line.

York added a single run in the eighth before sending 10 batters to the plate for their big offensive explosion in the ninth.

"We got to just keep looking (for answers), Hayes said. "I think the nucleus is here."

Notes: Sunday was the last home game of the season's first half for the Barnstormers. Lancaster now goes on the road for an 11-game trip and will not be back to Clipper Magazine Stadium until July 17. The 'Stormers play three at Southern Maryland before completing the season's first half with a make-up game at Long Island Friday. They begin the season's second half with a four-game series at Newark on Saturday, before going back to Long Island July 14-15. … Lancaster leads the 2009 The War of the Roses series, 6-4, but had won six of the first seven. … Lancaster released fan favorite Quincy Foster Saturday night to make a roster spot for Junge. Biernbaum was activated before the Sunday's game and is expected to pinch-hit and DH before returning fulltime to the outfield. Lancaster will have to make another roster move if they sign Watson Tuesday. … York center fielder Carl Loadenthal left the game after getting hit in the lower right leg by a Junge pitch while leading off the third inning.

E-mail: bwilson@lnpnews.com