(June 5, 2018) – The York Revolution earned one of their biggest victories of the season, erasing an early four-run deficit on a Michael Burgess double in the eighth and a Rubi Silva game-winning single in the ninth, in a late-game 5-4 comeback victory over the New Britain Bees on Tuesday night at New Britain Stadium. The win snaps a three-game skid for the Revs (17-15) who will go for a series win and a .500 road trip in Wednesday's finale before returning home.
After falling behind 4-0, five Revs pitchers including starter Pat McCoy combined to hold the Bees scoreless over the final five innings. Meanwhile, the offense cut it to a one-run game in the middle innings, and finished off the comeback late, scoring five unanswered runs for the team's seventh comeback victory of the season, and first in 11 tries when trailing after seven.
McCoy worked five innings in his first start and finished strong after falling behind early. Of his four runs allowed, only two were earned as the Revs overcame a season-high four errors in the victory.
New Britain struck in the first inning with an unearned run on a sac fly to left off the bat of Jason Rogers, and scored three more times in the third to go up 4-0. Deibinson Romero provided an RBI single and Rogers drove in two more on a single to left.
Offensively, the Revs were silenced early by Bees starter Zach Stewart who retired his first ten batters faced. Silva broke up that string with a one-out single to left in the fourth and stole second, putting himself in position to score on Welington Dotel's single up the middle to put York on the board. The hit for Dotel extended his hitting streak to an Atlantic League season-best 17 consecutive games.
Jose Cuevas and Travis Witherspoon singled in the fifth, and after a two-out walk to Jared Mitchell loaded the bases, Silva capitalized with a two-run single to right on an 0-2 pitch, suddenly bringing the Revs within a run at 4-3.
Revs relievers Zac Treece and Robert Carson tossed scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, respectively.
The offense completed its comeback in the eighth as Dotel drew a one-out walk from reliever Josh Outman, and Burgess drilled the game-tying double to the wall in right-center, leveling the score at 4-4. Right-hander Elvin Ramirez entered to record the final two outs of the inning and strand Burgess, who had advanced to third on the throw, but the Revs would find the winning run an inning later.
Ricardo Gomez (1-1) handled a scoreless bottom of the eighth out of the York bullpen. Rogers took a one-out walk, stole second, and moved to third on a fly out, but after an intentional walk to Josh Thole, Gomez struck out Jonathan Galvez to escape as both teams stranded a go-ahead run at third base in the eighth.
Witherspoon set the table with a one-out single to right off Ramirez (0-3) in the top of the ninth and moved to second on a ground out by Tyler Clark. The Bees called on lefty Jim Fuller to face Mitchell who worked a walk to keep the inning alive, and Silva came through with a first pitch RBI single to left, plating Witherspoon who dove across the plate with the eventual winning run.
Silva led the Revs by going 3-for-5 with a season-high three RBI.
Junior Rincon nailed down his seventh save with three fly outs in the ninth, stranding pinch-hitter James Skelton who singled with one out.
Notes: Mitchell has five hits in his last five at-bats against left-handed pitchers, and six in his last seven. His ninth inning walk marked the seventh consecutive plate appearance in which he has reached base safely against a lefty (six vs. relievers). He singled in the seventh, extending his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games, the league's second-longest active streak behind only Dotel's. York righty Joe Van Meter (1-0, 2.63) faces New Britain right-hander Kyle Simon (3-2, 3.75) in Wednesday's rubber match at 6:15 p.m. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 1350, woyk1350.com, The New WOYK app, and WOYK 1350 on YouTube beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
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