(June 7, 2024 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution and Hagerstown Flying Boxcars played an instant classic on Friday night with the Revs taking the series opener, 9-8 in 11 innings. Matt McDermott and Donovan Casey both blasted game-tying two-run homers in last at-bat situations, and Paul Mondesi capped the thriller with a walk-off single to maintain York’s first place lead at 3.0 games in the North Division.
The Revs trailed all night until they completed their first comeback of the evening with two outs in the ninth.
York trailed right away as leadoff hitter Cito Culver reached on an error to open the game and two batters later, Joe Campagna hit his first Atlantic League home run onto the lawn in right center field for an early 2-0 Hagerstown lead. Hagerstown got another run on an RBI groundout to spot themselves a 3-0 advantage. It was the first time in eight starts this season that starter Aaron Fletcher allowed runs in the first inning.
York got a run back in the bottom of the second inning when Jacob Rhinesmith scorched a double to right field, scoring David Washington who had led off the frame with a double of his own.
The Flying Boxcars strung together three consecutive two-out hits against Fletcher in the third inning, the third of which was an RBI single by Blake Berry.
Culver added another in the top of the fourth inning with a single that one-hopped the Arch Nemesis in left, spotting Hagerstown a 5-1 advantage.
Casey jumped on Malik Binns in the fourth inning, scorching his fourth home run of the year to lead off the frame, a screaming missle that snuck over the Arch Nemesis for his first long ball of the night. After Binns retired the next two, York loaded the bases between a pair of walks and a bunt single by Alfredo Reyes, but Binns fanned Ciaran Devenney to strand all three.
With the infield in and one out in the top of the fifth, Tyler Hill dropped a base knock into shallow left field to make it 6-2 Hagerstown as the Revs’ deficit again reached four runs.
Casey worked a two-out walk in the fifth inning but was cut down trying to steal second base to end the frame as Binns found his rhythm, facing the minimum through the fifth and sixth.
Binns was relieved after issuing a one-out walk to Kobe Kato in the seventh. Facing reliever Rob Klinchock, McDermott ripped an RBI triple to right field that narrowly stayed in play on a high hop against the outfield fence, scoring Kato to cut the deficit for York to 6-3.
Tom Sutera retired the side in order in the top of the eighth, facing just one over the minimum across three scoreless innings of relief to keep York in it.
Two pitches into the bottom of the eighth inning, York got a run against reliever Nick Gardewine as Casey led off with a double and scored one pitch later on a Washington single off the right field wall to make it 6-4. After moving to second base on a passed ball, Washington tried to take third on Gardewine but was thrown out as Gardewine realized the stolen base attempt in time and threw to third for the out. Gardewine retired the next two hitters to keep the Boxcars lead at 6-4.
Nelvin Correa punched out back-to-back hitters with runners on the corners in the top of the ninth to keep it a two-run game, giving the Revs a chance in their last at-bat.
After the first two were set down by Gardewine, Colton Welker came off the bench and worked a crucial pinch-hit walk on a full count. McDermott came up with the big swing, tying the game with a two-run opposite field blast to right, deadlocking the contest at 6-6 in stunning fashion. Edubray Ramos entered the game and retired Rudy Martin Jr on a popup to send the game to extras.
Matt Turner came in for the tenth but was greeted rudely by Hill. The Hagerstown backstop squared to bunt and missed the first pitch but launched the next one for a two-run homer to left center field. Turner retired the next three, sending the Revs to the plate in the bottom half, trailing 8-6.
It took York just one pitch to tie it again as Casey blasted a two-run shot to right center field for his second home run of the game, squaring the score at 8-8 with another exhilarating heroic moment that sound the WellSpan Park crowd into a frenzy. Just like Turner did in the top half, Ramos retired the next three to send the game to the 11th.
Moises Lugo (3-0) retired the side in order in the top of the 11th with the final out coming on a Curtis Terry flyout to the warning track, run down by Casey in deep center field.
Rafael Kelley (1-2) entered to pitch the bottom of the 11th, getting a strikeout and shallow flyout, bringing Mondesi to the dish. Behind 1-2, Mondesi poked a base hit through the right side, scoring Jacob Rhinesmith to walk off the Boxcars and take the series opener, 9-8 in one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory.
York will look to win the series on Saturday, sending Jon Olsen (3-0, 2.67) to the mound opposite of Taylor Lepard (0-2, 5.84). The game gets underway at 6:30 PM. It is American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life Night presented by WellSpan Health, part of WellSpan Wellness Weekend (Stronger than Cancer). The night concludes with Post-Game Fireworks presented by Blue Moon Light! Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: The walk off is York’s second walk-off win of the season, following Kato’s walk-off home run on Memorial Day against Staten Island. The Revs improve to 2-0 in extra-inning games, with the first coming on May 8, a 10-inning, 8-7 win in Lancaster. It is the Revs’ first 11-inning game since a 6-5 win at Lexington on July 30 of last season, and their first 11-inning game at home since September 1, 2022. It’s their longest win at home since an 11-inning 11-10 victory against the Road Warriors on September 6, 2018. The Revs improve to 24-15, having won eight of their last 11 overall. They have won four straight at home, improving to 10-8 at WellSpan Park. Hagerstown has dropped four straight, falling to 13-26. Fletcher allowed more than three runs for the first time in eight starts, taking a no-decision. With three scoreless innings, Sutera has now allowed just two earned runs in 19.2 innings all season, shrinking his ERA to 0.92. McDermott’s triple is his league-leading fifth while his ninth-inning homer made him the second player in the league to 50 hits this season, just ahead of Casey (49). Welker’s walk marks the second time he has come back behind in the count to work a critical ninth inning walk in front of a game-winning or game-tying homer; he did the same prior to Kato’s walk-off shot on May 27. Casey doubled and homered twice, marking his sixth career two-homer game and first since July 9, 2021 with Double-A Tulsa. His 10th inning homer is the 20th extra-inning homer in Revs history and first since Connor Lien hit an 11th inning grand slam on June 14, 2022 at Lexington. It is the first extra-inning homer at home by a Revs hitter since Walner Espinal’s 10th inning walk-off home run vs Lancaster on June 17, 2021. It is the fifth time the Revs have won a game despite allowing an extra-inning homer and first since an 11-inning win on September 8, 2021 at Lancaster; it is the third time they’ve done it at home and first since August 6, 2009 vs Camden. The walk-off win is the 90th in Revs history and 88th at WellSpan Park. With three RBI, Casey (37) jumps ahead of Washington (36) for second in the league in RBI. Washington’s eighth inning RBI is his 10th in the last five games.
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