Revs Rocked in Opener at High Point
(September 2, 2022 – High Point, NC): The York Revolution were thumped, 11-3 in the opening game of their weekend visit against the High Point Rockers on Friday night at Truist Point.
High Point’s offense got started right away as Michael Russell and Ben Aklinski hooked doubles to left in the bottom of the first, spotting the Rockers a 1-0 lead two batters in.
Zander Wiel launched a leadoff homer to left center in the second, extending the lead to 2-0 on his 28th of the year, establishing a new Rockers single-season record.
York’s offense awoke in the third as Connor Lien sparked things with a leadoff walk. Magglio Ordonez Jr. served a one-out single to center, and JC Encarnacion got the Revs on the board, rapping an RBI single that ricocheted off High Point starter Mitch Atkins’ foot and into right field. Elmer Reyes rapped a two-run double to right center, his league-leading 35th, thrusting the Revs ahead, 3-2. Reyes’ 35 doubles are tied for fifth most in a season in Revs history, five off the franchise record.
Atkins (1-0) recovered from that burst, retiring his final eight batters as four of his five innings were perfect in earning the win.
High Point forged right back ahead in their half of the third as Jerry Downs pulled a line drive homer to right and Michael Martinez looped an RBI single to right for a 4-3 advantage.
Russell drove a two-run homer to left-center in the fourth, and Giovanny Alfonzo added a two-run double to left center in the fifth as the Rockers scored in each of the first five innings, building an 8-3 lead.
Revs starter Ben Herrick (0-3) rebounded for a scoreless sixth, giving the team six innings of work on 116 pitches despite being tagged with eight runs on 12 hits.
High Point did not spare the bullpen, scoring three more runs in the seventh against Doug Olcese who had previously not allowed a hit or a run in six innings. Aklinski ripped a two-out RBI single to left and Downs capped the big offensive performance with a two-run double off the glove of a diving Troy Stokes Jr. in left.
Carlos Ventura handled a perfect eighth out of the Revs bullpen for only the second scoreless frame against the Rockers offense all night.
High Point totaled 14 hits, eight of which went for extra bases (five doubles, three home runs).
Seth Frankoff handled two no-hit innings in his High Point debut out of the bullpen. Gabriel Castellanos permitted only an infield hit by Encarnacion in the eighth, and Joe Johnson yielded just a leadoff single by Nellie Rodriguez in the ninth as the Revs were limited to five hits on the evening.
High Point pitchers combined to retire 13 consecutive batters at one point into the seventh, and until the eighth, the Revs’ only three hits had all occurred in the third inning as they were retired in order five times in the first six innings of the game.
York has dropped three straight and six of its last seven and will look to get even in the series on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. as lefty Josh Norwood makes his first start, opposite High Point’s Liam O’Sullivan. 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 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
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