(June 20, 2019 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution pulled off another big come-from-behind victory, taking the rubber match from the Sugar Land Skeeters, 8-6 on Thursday evening at PeoplesBank Park. The Revs have won eight of their last nine and 10 of the last 12 overall while notching a third consecutive series win. The homestand continues when the Somerset Patriots come to town on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
York ace Mitch Atkins took the mound for Thursday’s rubber match and ran into trouble early. Willy Taveras continued to be a thorn in the Revs side as he was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. Taveras stole second to move into scoring position. Anthony Giansanti followed by lining a double to the gap in right-center field, plating the run and giving Sugar Land a 1-0 lead. Jared Mitchell continued his tremendous homecoming by slapping an RBI single to left center, scoring Giansanti and moving the lead to 2-0.
After Skeeters starter Dallas Beeler held York scoreless in their half of the first, Sugar Land’s offense stayed hot. Taveras hit a one-out single to set the table for the second consecutive inning. Giansanti followed with another double to put runners on second and third with one away. Mitchell doubled to right, scoring both runners and driving the Sugar Land advantage to 4-0.
The Revs chipped away at the lead in the bottom of second. Carlos Franco led off the frame with a double down the left field line to give York its first base runner of the ballgame. After Franco advanced to third on an Isaias Tejeda fly out to right, J.P. Sportman recorded an RBI ground out to short, cutting the lead to 4-1.
Atkins was locked in for the middle innings after struggling to begin the game. The York right-hander worked around a two-out single in the third to record a scoreless frame.
Beeler was also impressive in the third, allowing just one base hit while striking out two.
The Revs added another run to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth. Sportman reached first on a two-out infield single, extending his league-best hitting streak to 18 games and keeping the inning alive. After Sportman advanced to second on a wild pitch, Welington Dotel singled to left to plate the run and cut the deficit to 4-2.
Following a third consecutive scoreless inning twirled by Atkins in the fifth, York tied things up in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Dent led off the frame with a single. James Skelton smacked a double down the left field line to give York runners on second and third with no one out. Melky Mesa cashed in with an RBI ground out to short, scoring Dent and moving Skelton to third with one out. Telvin Nash walked to put runners on the corners. Franco followed by driving a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Skelton and tying things up at 4-4.
Sugar Land quickly regained the lead in the top of the sixth. Juan Silverio walked to begin the inning. Cody Stanley followed by reaching first on an error. With runners on first and second with no outs, Pete Tago got the call to relieve Atkins and allowed an RBI single to left by Jason Martinson which moved the score to 5-4. Tago bounced back to retire the next three Skeeters in order to limit the damage.
Beeler finished strong, throwing a 1-2-3 inning in his half of the sixth, his final inning of work.
Rob Carson took the mound in the top of the seventh. After getting Mitchell to ground out to third, Denis Phipps drove a solo home run to left center, extending the lead to 6-4. Carson retired the next two batters to end the inning.
York added a run in the bottom of the seventh on a Skelton solo home run to right, cutting the lead to 6-5.
Josh Judy was terrific out of the Revs bullpen, working a 1-2-3 eighth inning including a diving catch from Mesa in left to keep the deficit at just one run.
The defining moment of the series happened in the bottom of the eighth. Tejeda led off the inning by coming back from down two strikes to work a walk from reliever Cesar Cabral. Sportman followed by doubling down the left field line on a chopper off the tip of third baseman Silverio’s glove, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Dotel delivered an improbable go-ahead two-run infield double, as his chopper glanced free behind the mound with the infield in. Tejeda scored from third and Sportman sprinted all the way around to score from second on the play, with Dotel racing all the way to an open second base, giving York its first lead of the game at 7-6. With Dotel on third with one out, Dent delivered an RBI single through the left side of a drawn-in infield, giving York an insurance run and thrusting the lead to 8-6.
Revs manager Mark Mason chose Jameson McGrane to finish things up. McGrane worked a perfect inning with a pair of ground outs and a strike out of Mitchell to end it, recording his first Atlantic League save and seventh of his pro career.
“We’re feeling good,” said McGrane of the team’s recent winning ways. “Things are starting to gel for us. We had some minor changes in the lineup and how the team’s kind of been gelling, we’re feeling good. We’re feeling saucy every time we come out.”
Recap by Brett Pietrzak
Notes: The comeback win is the eighth of the year for the Revs and the third when trailing by four or more. Each of the two wins in the series vs. Sugar Land came in such fashion, as York pulled off a season-best five-run comeback in Tuesday’s opener. It was also York’s third comeback victory of the season when trailing after seven innings, and the team’s fifth victory claimed in its final at-bat. The series win is the Revs’ first at home against the Skeeters in the last five tries since the first half of the 2017 season, and the first in the last nine tries overall. Judy (4-1) earned the win in both games of the series and is tied with starter Dan Minor for the team lead in wins. Carson had retired 13 consecutive hitters before the Phipps homer, and has allowed just one earned run in his last eight outings (9.0 innings). McGrane extended scoreless streaks to 14 consecutive outings and 13.1 innings, the longest by any Revs pitcher this season. He has struck out 10 and has not allowed a hit in 5.0 innings over his last four appearances. Sportman’s 18-game hitting streak is now tied for 10th-longest in Revs history (Johan Limonta, 2014) and is the Revs’ longest since a 23-gamer (tied for third longest all-time) by Alexi Casilla in 2017. Dotel (3-for-4, three RBI) has now hit safely in seven straight and has 11 RBI in his last five games and 15 RBI in his last 10. Franco (1-for-3, double, sac fly RBI) is now 18-for-34 with 10 RBI in nine games to begin his Revs career. Skelton has hit safely in six straight, and has homered in two of his last four games. Tejeda extended his hitting streak to eight games with an infield single in the fifth. York lefty Ian Thomas (1-0, 3.08) will square off with Somerset right-hander Ryan Kussmaul (1-1, 4.50) in Friday’s opener. It is Engineering Night and Girl Scout Sleepover Night. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Revs Ticket Office.
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