Hagerstown rallies past Gastonia again, extends home winning streak

Hagerstown kept turning first punches into final blows, rallying past Gastonia 6-5 at Meritus Park for the third straight comeback win in the series. The Flying Boxcars moved to 4-2 in the second half and extended their home winning streak to four games, another tight finish that looked familiar by the end.

Gastonia did not score in the first inning for the first time in the series, briefly changing the rhythm of the matchup, but the Ghost Peppers still had Hagerstown working from behind before the Boxcars finished stronger in the middle and late innings. One night earlier, Hagerstown had taken care of business with a 14-4 win, and the first two games of the set had already shown how quickly the Boxcars could punish mistakes. Gastonia had enough early firepower in the opener, when Jace Rinehart delivered a bases-clearing three-run double, and Nate Scantlin followed the next night by launching his 20th home run of the year on the first pitch of the game.

That sequence has become the story of the series and, increasingly, the story of Hagerstown’s second half. The Boxcars finished the first half at 41-22, tied for the best record in the Atlantic League, and clinched the North Division first-half title and the franchise’s first playoff berth on June 27. Even after locking up October baseball, Hagerstown has kept finding ways to win games that start with trouble, a sign that the club’s edge is not just about talent but about response.

Mark Minicozzi, hired on Nov. 14, 2025, has overseen a team that looks increasingly comfortable in those pressure moments. The Boxcars have shown they can absorb an early deficit, stay composed and turn a close game in their favor, which is a valuable trait in a division race and a dangerous one for opponents who think they have them on the ropes. Gastonia, which adopted the Ghost Peppers identity in 2025 after fan voting, entered the July 8 game at 40-28 overall and already had one of the Atlantic League’s more dangerous lineups, but Hagerstown has now beaten that attack three straight times by recovering after falling behind.

The 6-5 final was narrow enough to stay tense through the closing innings, but the pattern is what gives it weight. Hagerstown is not just winning at Meritus Park. It is building a late-game identity around patience, pursuit and the confidence that a deficit does not have to last.