(May 24, 2018) — Zac Grotz led the way with a complete game shutout and the bats got hot to power the York Revolution to a 7-0 win against the Lancaster Barnstormers in a matinee on Thursday at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Revs’ win snapped the Stormers’ club record 12-game win streak and evened the War of the Roses season series 5-5. York returns home to open a six-game homestand on Friday evening.
The Revs opened the scoring in the top of the second when Rubi Silva beat out a squeeze bunt for a two-out RBI single off Lancaster starter Tommy Shirley. On the very next pitch, Tyler Clark blasted a three-run homer over the left-center field wall, his first of the season, to make it 4-0 Revs.
The Revs extended their lead to 5-0 in the third on a Jose Cuevas RBI single to right-center.
Meanwhile, Grotz was settled in early. The righty came into the game with an 11-inning scoreless streak and made a statement while extending it.
Grotz worked past a pair of two-out singles in the first and a leadoff hit batter in the second to keep the Barnstormers off the board early. He escaped his only other threat in the fourth when Vladimir Frias was retired in a rundown between third and home to end the inning.
The offense fed off Grotz’ strong outing, and the Revs added a run in the sixth when Ryan Dent hit a solo homer to right-center, pushing the lead to 6-0. The homer was Dent’s third of the season and second against Lancaster.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Grotz continued to dominate and struck out the side in the eighth inning, part of a streak of 11 consecutive batters retired, as Grotz allowed only one hit after the fifth.
Welington Dotel gave the Revs another run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single, and with a 7-0 lead, Grotz came back out for the bottom of the ninth.
After allowing a one-out double, Grotz got the next two hitters he faced to pop out and fly out, respectively, finishing off the complete-game shutout victory, his first win of the season. He struck out nine and walked just one while scattering six hits. It was the eighth complete-game shutout in Revs’ history and fifth in a nine-inning game.
Grotz extended his scoreless-inning streak to 20.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 0.43.
In the win, Silva went 4-for-4 with four singles, and the bottom three in the Revs’ order of Silva, Dent and Clark combined to go 8-for-10 and reach base safely in 10 of their 12 plate appearances with four runs scored. The Revs also handed Shirley (3-1) his first loss of the season.
The Revs (11-11) open a three-game series with the Road Warriors Friday at 6:30 p.m. at PeoplesBank Park. It is Star Wars Night, featuring Star Wars-themed Postgame Fireworks. It is also a Boomer's Book Club Night presented by Harrisburg University, and there is a Belly Buster Picnic in the Bullpen Balcony. Tickers are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and at the Revs Ticket Office.
Notes: York has played 10 of its first 22 games against Lancaster; the two teams will not meet again until July 17. Grotz' previous career-high was 6.0 innings pitched, set three times during the 2016 season. It marked the first nine-inning complete game shutout by a Revs pitcher since Rommie Lewis blanked the Barnstormers 3-0 on June 7, 2015 at PeoplesBank Park. The shutout victory is the Revs' fourth of the season, already matching their total from the 2017 championship season. Each of the Revs' last two victories have come in shutout fashion (won 9-0 at New Britain on Sunday). Grotz' nine strikeouts is the most in a game by a Revs pitcher this season. His 112 pitches are a season-high for a Revs pitcher; 83 were strikes. Grotz struck out four consecutive batters, fanning the side in the eighth and striking out Blake Gailen to begin the ninth. Grotz' scoreless streak is currently the sixth-longest in Revs history, one out shy of moving into a tie for fourth-longest.
Story by Michael Marcantonini
Broadcaster/Media Relations Asst.
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