After dropping an extra-inning battle in the opener, the York Revolution pounded the New Britain Bees, 9-0 in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader at New Britain Stadium, taking the rubber match of the weekend series and moving back above .500 with a 10-9 record on the season. The Revs are off on Monday before opening a key three-game series in Lancaster on Tuesday night.
The Revs dropped Sunday’s opener 5-2 in eight innings, falling to 0-5 in doubleheader contests on the season while sitting at 9-4 in all other games.
York struck first as Alexi Casilla drove a double to right-center with one out in the top of the first and scored when Zach Wilson doubled to nearly the identical spot, giving the Revs a 1-0 lead.
Revs starter Jay Gause was scoreless through the opening two frames, but fell behind 2-1 on a two-run single to left by Deibinson Romero in the third. One of the runs was unearned after an error earlier in the inning.
New Britain starter Kyle Simon settled into a groove, but Jared Mitchell launched a game-tying home run to right in the top of the fifth, leveling the score at 2-2.
The Bees threatened to retake the lead right away as Vinny Siena led off the home fifth with a double to left and advanced to third on James Skelton’s sacrifice bunt. Gause struck out Darren Ford for the second out of the inning before reliever Robert Carson was called upon to match up with left-hand hitting Darrell Ceciliani. After a walk to Ceciliani, Carson rebounded to retire Romero on a fly out to right, leaving runners at the corners to keep the game tied.
The Revs were denied after Wilson led off the sixth with a double, as Simon retired his final six batters faced, lasting seven innings in a no-decision.
Carson totaled three outs from the Revs bullpen while Grant Sides followed by retiring all four batters he faced. Luke Westphal set aside the first two batters in the bottom of the eighth, but Reid Brignac kept the inning alive with a single to right, Jason Rogers walked, and Jamar Walton connected on a walk-off three-run homer to right giving the Bees the extra-inning victory in game one.
The second game was scoreless through the first three innings, but not without event. New Britain threatened in the third as Siena led off with a single and Ford was hit by a pitch. Angelys Nina attempted to bunt both runners ahead but ran into his own bunted ball, resulting in batter’s interference for the first out. Heavy rains came prompting a 47-minute delay, most of which was spent in sunshine as the field was repaired for play to resume. After the delay, York starter Ross Detwiler rolled a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Romero on his first pitch to send the game to the fourth.
Sam Gervacio limited York to one hit through three innings in a spot start, but the Revs got to the Bees bullpen beginning in the fourth as Jose Cuevas lined a two-run single to left with two outs in the inning, breaking the scoreless deadlock and lifting York to a 2-0 lead.
The Revs appeared poised for an insurance run when Welington Dotel led off the sixth inning with a triple to the wall in right-center. It required a two-out single to center by Melky Mesa who got the job done, extending the lead to 3-0.
New Britain threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but Ricardo Gomez recorded a pair of pop ups and a fly out to maintain the 3-0 lead with no damage done.
York blew the game open with a six-run seventh, the Revs’ second-biggest inning of the season. Rubi Silva walked to lead off and raced to third when Travis Witherspoon reached on an error by Romero at third. Witherspoon stole second before Tyler Clark walked to load the bases. Mitchell was hit by a pitch to force in the first run, and Dotel lined an RBI single to right as reliever Manny Delcarmen was chased before recording an out. Wilson picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and Michael Burgess drilled a two-run single to right. Mesa added a sac fly to center to finalize the outburst.
Junior Rincon closed it out with a scoreless seventh.
Every batter in the Revs lineup either scored or drove in a run in the victory.
Detwiler (2-1) limited the Bees to just two hits in five innings, earning the win on the mound.
Notes: York’s nine runs in the second game tied the offense’s second-biggest output of the season, while the nine-run victory was also the second largest, bested only by a 12-2 win at Southern Maryland on May 8. The shutout win is the Revs’ third of the year. York improves to 5-3 on the road. Revs righty Mitch Atkins (0-2, 8.15) will face Lancaster lefty Nate Reed (3-0, 1.80) in Tuesday’s opener at 7 p.m. York fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 1350, woyk1350.com, The New WOYK app, and WOYK 1350 on YouTube beginning at 6:40 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Michael Marcantonini on the call.
CLICK HERE FOR GAME ONE BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
CLICK HERE FOR GAME TWO BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
CLICK HERE FOR WOYK GAME BROADCAST ON YOUTUBE
CLICK HERE FOR WOYK AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS