Lexington erupts for eight-run inning, routs Gastonia 11-1

Nick Senzel fueled the blowout with a two-run double in the first and a three-run homer in the second, and Lexington rolled to an 11-1 win over Gastonia at CaroMont Health Park. The Legends turned a 2-0 lead into a 10-0 cushion in one inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and never letting the Ghost Peppers recover.

The decisive second inning began with Micajah Wall’s RBI triple, then Senzel drove in his third and fourth runs of the day with a blast. Curtis Terry followed with a solo homer, Jackson Feltner added a two-run shot, and Lexington kept the line moving until the inning closed with eight runs.

Jimmy Loper handled the rest. The left-hander allowed one run over six innings, keeping Gastonia from mounting any response after Grant Lavigne’s solo homer in the fourth cut into the lead briefly. Meade Johnson and David Stich finished the last three innings without permitting another threat, while Craig Stem absorbed the loss after giving up 10 runs on 11 hits in four innings.

Lexington finished with 14 hits and six extra-base hits, with Feltner going 2 for 4 with two RBI and three runs scored, and Terry collecting two hits, including his sixth homer of the season. Senzel finished with four RBI, and the top of the order kept finding traffic once the second inning began.

The victory moved Lexington to 27-36 on the league board, while Gastonia fell to 38-25. It also came with the Atlantic League’s first-half finish one day away, as the 2026 schedule called for first-half champions to be crowned when games concluded on Thursday, July 2, before the second half began Friday, July 3.

The Legends franchise dates to April 2001 and is listed by the league as Central Kentucky’s longest-running professional sports team, and Lexington signed the former Major League standout and ex-Cincinnati Reds first-round pick on May 24.

The series had already produced a 9-7 Gastonia victory before Lexington’s second-inning burst.