(May 7, 2024 – Lancaster, Pa.): Zach Neff earned his second win of the season in as many starts as the York Revolution got their War of the Roses defense off to a strong start with a 9-1 win over the Lancaster Stormers on Tuesday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Revs now hold sole possession of first place in the North Division at 7-4. Neff (2-0) struck out six across a season-high 5.1 innings in the victory.
Without recording a hit, York jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against Stormers starter Caleb Barager. After Matt McDermott reached on an error and Kobe Kato walked, both moved up on a wild pitch. Donovan Casey and Jacob Rhinesmith delivered back-to-back sacrifice flies to open the scoring.
Lancaster got on the board with an RBI groundout in the second inning, scoring Chris Proctor who led the inning off with an infield single and stole a pair of bases.
With one out in the third inning, Lancaster got a pair of runners in scoring position against Neff but the lefty ended the inning with a groundout and looking strikeout.
York led off the third and fourth innings with doubles but came up empty on both trips, failing to extend the lead. In the sixth, however, David Washington drove in a run on York’s third sacrifice fly, scoring Casey and putting York up 3-1. Washington has now driven in runs in all four games of his Revs tenure.
Neff started the sixth inning, becoming York’s second starter to pitch into the sixth inning so far this season. He exited after a one-out infield single, but Alex Valverde stranded that runner with a strikeout and flyout.
In the seventh inning, things finally broke open. After Casey was hit in the arm to load the bases with one out, York responded with four straight two-out hits, capped off by Jamari Baylor’s three run blast to right center field. Prior to the blast, Trey Martin delivered a two-run single to left, and Washington singled home another run one pitch later. After the six-run inning, York was suddenly ahead 9-1.
Matt Turner allowed a leadoff walk in the seventh inning but retired the next three, culminating with a strikeout.
Tom Sutera erased a one-out single in the eighth by rolling a 6-3 ground ball double play to end the inning and tossed a scoreless ninth to cap off the 9-1 victory, as York delivered the opening blow in this season’s War of the Roses.
Will Stewart will make his third start of the season on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. and will be opposed by Jack Labosky of Lancaster. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and FloBaseball.TV beginning at 6:25 p.m.
Notes: York’s 7-4 start is their best to begin a season since 2011 and their second best through 11 games all-time. Their 5-2 road start matches their best through seven games (2010). York has won all three road series openers and is looking to make it three straight road series wins to open the year. Baylor’s home run was the 20th of his pro career. The three sac flies ties a Revs single-game franchise record (several times). Neff’s 5.1 innings establishes a new career-high; he has allowed just one run in each of his first two starts. York pitching shut down a Lancaster offense that entered Tuesday’s game leading the league in batting and runs (7.1/game). The Revs have scored six or more runs in five of their last six contests. Turner has now worked five shutout innings to begin the season. The Revs’ six-run seventh was their biggest inning of the year. York now ranks second in the league with a 3.97 staff ERA.
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