(August 4, 2018) — Last year’s Atlantic League Player of the Year Alonzo Harris tied a franchise record for steals in a game in his season debut, sparking the York Revolution who hit their way to an 8-4 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Saturday night in front of a season-high 5,922 fans at PeoplesBank Park.
The Revs took the lead in the bottom of the second when Jared Mitchell scored from third with two outs on a wild pitch to the backstop by Blue Crabs starter Paul Clemens, making it 1-0 Revs.
The Blue Crabs tied the game in the top of the third with an unconventional two-out double steal. With runners at first and third with one out, Revs starter Mitch Atkins struck out Frank Martinez swinging for the second out. Edwin Garcia broke for second on the pitch, and as catcher Roger Diaz’ throw to second was late, Teodoro Martinez came home to score from third, making it 1-1.
The Revs answered in the bottom of the inning to get their lead right back. Harris, who walked to lead off the inning, scored on Melky Mesa’s sac fly to right. Telvin Nash was up next and blasted a solo homer over the Arch Nemesis, his third of the season in just two games, giving the Revs a 3-1 advantage. Clemens issued three consecutive walks including a bases loaded free pass to Ryan Dent, increasing the lead to 4-1.
The Revs extended their lead to 5-1 in the fourth when Mesa brought in Harris with an RBI groundout. Harris walked to lead off an inning for the third time and stole both second and third before scoring, giving him four stolen bases on the night.
The Crabs cut the Revs’ lead in half in the top of the sixth on Angelo Songco’s two-out, two-run homer to right, making it a 5-3 game.
Atkins exited after six innings and logged his team-leading ninth quality start of the season, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Ricardo Gomez took over for Atkins in the seventh and was unable to record an out while allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base. Junior Rincon inherited a bases loaded, no-out jam and got Garcia to hit into a 6-4-3 double play upon entering the game. A run scored on the play to make it a 5-4 game, but Rincon slammed the door on the inning by getting Frank Martinez to ground out to end the threat and strand the tying run on third.
Mitchell provided an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh with a sac fly to right. Diaz kept the inning alive with a single to right before stealing second and scoring on Dent's RBI single to right, pushing the Revs’ lead to 7-4.
The Revs added one more in the eighth on a swinging bunt single from Casilla that turned into a "Little League homer" on an error by Crabs catcher Craig Maddox who airmailed the throw into the right field corner. Casilla circled the bases as Teodoro Martinez claimed that the ball had gone out of play, making it an 8-4 Revs lead.
Grant Sides came on for the ninth and locked down the win by striking out the side in a 1-2-3 inning.
Atkins (8-4) earned his league-lead-tying eighth win while Clemens (1-7) suffered the loss.
Notes: The Revs stole a season-high six bases in the win. It is the sixth time in Revs history that York has stolen six or more bases in a game as the total is tied for the third most in a game in franchise history. Harris' four stolen bases tied Wilson Valdez (June 14, 2014 vs. Camden) for the single-game franchise record; Harris is the first to do it in a nine-inning game. The Revs walked a season-high eight times at the plate. Rincon has not allowed an earned run in his last 14.1 IP, spanning his last 14 appearances, and 12 of those 14 outings have been scoreless. Sides has now recorded at least two strikeouts in each of his last five outings (12 strike outs in five innings).
Up Next: The Revs and Blue Crabs will finish their suspended game from Friday night at 1 p.m. on Sunday. It will resume with one out and no one on base in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Blue Crabs ahead 7-6. Sunday’s scheduled game will now be a 7-inning game and start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the suspended game. LHP Robert Carson (7-5, 3.16) will start for the Revs against Blue Crabs RHP Casey Delgado (4-7, 4.65).
Story by Michael Marcantonini
Broadcaster/Media Relations Asst.
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