Words may not be able to describe how bad the Barnstormers needed this one.

Flirting with losing another game, the third in four nights, after taking a lead into the late innings, Lancaster was finally able to celebrate a win over Somerset, the team that has had their number, not only this year, but in the history of the franchise.

Matt Watson's walk-off single scored Michael Woods in the bottom of the ninth for the 6-5 Barnstormers win before an announced crowd of 4,023 at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

"It's been such a struggle here the last couple games," said Lancaster manager Tom Herr. "Two out of the three we lost were such heart-breaking defeats where we had a lead late and couldn't hold on to it and it looked as though it might happen again tonight."

Herr was referring to Somerset scoring a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game, 5-5.

In the ninth, Lancaster closer Antonio Alfonseca gave up three straight hits, including Joe Burke's double that scored Jason Belcher with the tying run.

It was Alfonseca's seventh blown save in 15 opportunities, but on this occasion, he was able to limit the damage.

With runners on second and third and nobody out, the former Phillie got out of trouble when Elliott Ayala grounded out and Mike Rodriguez and Anthony Granato both struck out.

"To Antonio's credit, he really toughened up there," said Herr. "He kept it at a tie game for us and gave us a chance to win it in the ninth."

Alfonseca picked up the win (2-3) when Watson delivered the game-winner to left-center after Woods led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on Matt Hagen's throwing error.

It was a rare mistake by the Patriots (18-9), who had won 11 of the first 13 meetings, including five straight, between the two clubs this season.

The Patriots hold a 60-30 advantage in the all-time series.

"I was fortunate he left it up and it was a pitch that I could drive," Watson said of the first pitch he saw from Ryan Basner (3-2) in the ninth.

It was Watson's third hit of the game.

"The way we've been playing lately, we've been stressing out a little bit," said Watson, who had drove in three runs. "The guys are trying to do a little too much, myself included. It's not a lack of effort."

Josh Pressley gave the Patriots a 2-0 lead in the first when he hit a home run to right off Lancaster starter Trey Hodges.

Somerset scored in the first inning of all four games in the series.

The Barnstormers (11-16) answered in their half of the opening frame thanks to a two-run shot by Watson. It was the McCaskey grad's third dinger of the season and first since July 19.

"The good thing about tonight was every time they scored, we answered," said Herr. "That was big for us to keep coming back at them."

Somerset added two more in the fourth via a Matt Hagen sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Jeff Nettles.

Hodges went seven innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits to match his longest outing of the season.

Lancaster, again, responded in the bottom of the fourth with three runs, thanks to five straight hits with two outs.

The big blow in the inning was a two-run triple by Nate Gold.

"If ever a team really needed one, tonight was one," said Herr. "If we would have lost that one in the same fashion that we lost the other two, boy that would have been tough to rebound from that."