(September 12th, 2023 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution pounded 16 hits including three home runs in an 11-6 victory over the High Point Rockers on Tuesday evening at WellSpan Park.
Tom Sutera took the mound against Craig Stem in the opener as the Rockers came to York for their first and only trip to Pennsylvania this season.
On the first pitch of the game, Shed Long Jr. launched a home run to right field off Sutera for his second leadoff long ball against the Revs this season.
York took a 2-1 lead in the second, plating the first run on back-to-back doubles by Jhon Nunez and Jacob Rhinesmith to tie it at 1-1. Rhinesmith was brought home with two outs when Alejandro Rivero poked an RBI single to right center giving the Revs a 2-1 lead.
Ben Aklinski tied the game for High Point with a sac fly in the top of the third, drawing even at 2-2.
The Revs retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Nunez and Rhinesmith again ignited things, this time with back-to-back singles, before Ruchard Urena landed a bloop along the left field line to double home Nunez for a 3-2 lead. York had a chance to extend it further with second and third and none out but stranded both runners.
Drew Mendoza tattooed his 14th home run of the season onto the clubhouse in right field, a two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-2 while extending his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games. Nunez walked and advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single to right by Urena, giving York a 6-2 advantage.
The lead quickly dissipated in the sixth as the Revs made two costly errors and High Point tied the game at 6-6 on four unearned runs, scoring on a two-run single by Long Jr. and a game-tying RBI single by Aklinski.
Emilker Guzman entered from the bullpen to get the final out as cleanup hitter Zander Wiel drove one to the wall in left center where Trey Martin leapt and crashed into the wall but held on for a spectacular grab, robbing the Rockers of two runs and keeping the game tied.
The sixth inning rally left Sutera with a no-decision. The right hander went 5.2 innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the game.
Stem threw five innings for the Rockers, giving up six runs on nine hits with just one walk and eight strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen.
Nellie Rodriguez slammed a two-run home run to right center off reliever Austin Ross (2-3) in the bottom of the sixth, springing the Revs back in front, 8-6. It was Rodriguez’ 24th of the season and 75th home run of his Revs career, moving ahead of former teammate Melky Mesa for second on the franchise’s all-time list.
York added insurance against reliever Kyle Halbohn in the seventh. Urena (3-for-5, three RBI) homered to deep right center for his 17th of the year, and Martin ripped a two-run single to left, extending the lead to 11-6.
After Guzman (1-0) took care of a scoreless seventh and Will Carter tossed a scoreless eighth, Nelvin Correa shut the door with a pair of strike outs and a pop up in the ninth, capping the Revs’ fifth straight win against High Point, their longest winning streak all-time in the head-to-head series.
The Revs improve to 68-53 overall and 31-27 in the second half, still 2.5 games behind Lancaster for first place with five to play in the regular season. York has won 10 of its last 14 overall.
York has won three of its first four on the season-closing nine-game homestand and will go for another series win on Wednesday night as RHP Pedro Vasquez (8-3, 5.99) faces High Point southpaw Brandon Leibrandt (3-3, 3.62) at 6:30 p.m. It is Winning Wednesday presented by PA Lottery, Bark in the Park presented by Cover Six Canines, “Trucks, Ducks & Bucks”, and Kwame Katana’s Back-to-School Bash. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
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