(May 25, 2019 – York, Pa.): Melky Mesa fell just a double short of the cycle while recording five RBIs to pace the York Revolution offense en route to an 8-3 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers in front of a crowd of 3,753 fans at PeoplesBank Park on Saturday night. The Revs improve to 5-1 on the homestand and will go for a win in the rubber match with the Barnstormers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Mesa finished the night 3-for-4 with a homer, triple, five RBI, three runs, and a walk to lead the Revs who plated a season-high 11 runs on the night.
“Every time you win, you enjoy it,” said Mesa of his team who has won five of its last six. “If you play hard and do everything you’re supposed to do and you win, you’re happy.”
Daniel Minor got the start for York and faced the minimum nine over his first three innings of work.
York wasted no time getting on the board offensively as they scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. J.P. Sportman and Alexi Casilla hit back-to-back singles to set the table. After Lancaster starter Buddy Baumann battled back to retire the next two Revs hitters, Mesa blasted a three-run home run over the Arch Nemesis in left to give York the 3-0 lead.
“I just tried to put everything together,” said Mesa. “I just tried to get a good pitch to hit and did what I was supposed to do.”
York broke things wide open in their half of the third. For the second time in the ballgame, both Sportman and Casilla reached base to begin an inning giving York runners on first and second with no one out. After Telvin Nash advanced both runners on a ground out, Isaias Tejeda ripped an RBI single up the middle scoring Sportman and pushing the lead to 4-0. Mesa followed up the RBI knock by smashing a triple to straightaway center field scoring both Casilla and Tejeda and thrusting the lead to 6-0. Welington Dotel recorded an RBI single in his fourth consecutive game to score Mesa from third to make it 7-0 York. After Ryan Dent drew a walk, James Skelton ripped a ground-rule double to deep center to score Dotel extending the lead to 8-0.
Lancaster scored their first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning on a Caleb Gindl sacrifice fly, shaving the lead to 8-1. The Barnstormers added two more runs in the top of the fifth on a pair of RBI singles from Parker Morin and Michael Martinez, cutting the lead to 8-3.
Minor (2-2) finished five innings for the win, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six and walking only one.
Jameson McGrane worked a scoreless sixth inning, adding two strike outs of his own to the ledger. Peter Tago followed with a scoreless seventh, leading the Revs into the late innings with the 8-3 advantage.
The Revs tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning via a Skelton bases loaded walk and a passed ball on a pitch from Andury Acevedo, growing the lead to 10-3.
Nash capped the Revs offensive onslaught by blasting the 60th home run of his Revs career over the Nemesis in left, propelling the lead to 11-3 in the eighth. The bomb moved him past Chris Nowak for second all-time in York history, while tying Andres Perez for the all-time PeoplesBank Park record with 38 home runs. Nash also recorded his 500th professional RBI on the blast which was his seventh of the season.
Pat Young worked a scoreless ninth inning to finish the game and even the weekend series at one game apiece.
Recap by Brett Pietrzak
Notes: Minor’s win is his second in as many starts. His three earned runs are his most allowed in a start all season. With just one walk, he has walked only four batters in five starts. He recorded more strike outs than innings for the fourth time in five starts. With three scoreless innings to start the night, he has now allowed just one earned run in 15.0 innings over the first three innings of each of his five starts. As a team, the Revs own a 2.50 ERA through the first six games of the homestand. York’s bullpen worked four shutout innings and now owns a 2.08 ERA over the last 11 games. Revs pitchers struck out 12 Barnstormers tying a season-high for a nine-inning game for the second time in four games. Revs pitching has struck out double digits in three of the last four, and at least eight batters in all four. York has totaled 30 strike outs to three walks over the last three games and 42 strike outs to just five walks over the last four games. The offense had previously scored a season-high of nine runs on three occasions. Young allowed his first hit of the season on a seeing-eye single up the middle to begin the ninth; he has now allowed one hit over seven shutout innings to begin his Revs career. Nash now sits six home runs shy of the Revs’ all-time record of 66 held by Andres Perez. Mesa is now batting .463 on a 10-game hitting streak with two doubles, three triples, and three homers. He has driven in 13 runs over his last nine games and Saturday’s five marked the most by a Revs batter this season. Mesa is now tied for the league lead with 37 hits and overtook teammate Henry Castillo for the league lead in total bases with 61. Dotel now has five RBI in his last four games. Skelton is now 8-for-14 with four doubles, three RBI, and five runs scored on the homestand. York righty Duke von Schamann makes his Revs debut in Sunday’s game opposite Lancaster lefty John Anderson (2-1, 3.91). It is a Sunday Family Funday presented by Weis Markets featuring pre-game autograph & catch on the field sessions and post-game kids run the bases. It is also Bark in the Park presented by East York Veterinary Center. The day also features Princess Appearances. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Revs Ticket Office.
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