(August 7, 2021 – Charleston, WV): The York Revolution stormed back to tie the game with a four-run eighth but lost to the West Virginia Power, 6-5 on a ninth inning throwing error on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park. The Revs will look to avoid a sweep in Sunday’s finale before returning home to host the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
The Power built a 3-0 first inning lead for the second consecutive night, taking advantage of initial control struggles from Revs starter Joey Lara. After a pair of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs, Edwin Espinal took a bases loaded walk to force in the game’s first run. Rymer Liriano followed with a ground ball single up the middle to plate another, and Elmer Reyes later added a sac fly to right.
Lara settled in to face the minimum over a 12-batter stretch with double plays in the second and fourth, but Power starter Elih Villanueva faced the minimum through four thanks to double play balls in each of the first three innings.
Nellie Rodriguez got the Revs on the board in the fifth by slamming a solo home run toward the scoreboard in left-center, his eighth of the season and third in four games to cut it to 3-1. Josue Herrera nearly brought the Revs another run closer on a shot that clanged off the top of the center field fence that was ruled a double, as the Revs settled for one run in the inning.
West Virginia got that run back in the bottom of the fifth courtesy of an Alberto Callaspo sac fly to center, and added one more in the seventh when Connor Myers doubled down the third base line, stole third, and crossed on a Teodoro Martinez ground out.
Down 5-1, the Revs’ eighth inning uprising began with singles from Lenin Rodriguez and Darian Sandford to set the table. A James Harris fly out to right moved Rodriguez to third, and a Jack Kenley sac fly to deep right-center brought him home, cutting it to 5-2. Melky Mesa crushed a two-run home run off the video board in left-center to make it a one-run game, and after Nellie Rodriguez walked, pinch-hitter Andrew Dundon drove a game-tying double to the gap in left-center, suddenly pulling the Revs even at 5-5.
West Virginia set the stage for the final as Reyes reached on an infield single on a misplayed chopper at third to lead off the ninth. Following a walk to Yovan Gonzalez, Ben Farias dropped down a sacrifice bunt to third, but Herrera’s throw to first sailed wide allowing the winning run to score.
York lefty Austin Nicely (5-5, 3.61) starts Sunday’s game at 1:05 p.m., opposite Power righty Junior Figueroa (1-3, 8.34). Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 12:45 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
Notes: The Revs have belted multiple homers in seven of the last eight games, totaling 19 home runs on that stretch. Mesa’s home run is the 49th of his Revs career, fifth-most all-time and two shy of matching Isaias Tejeda for fourth on the all-time list. Dundon’s double is his eighth pinch-hit of the season, adding to his Revs single-season record and taking over the franchise career record, previously held by Matt Padgett who tallied seven between 2008-09.
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