(July 17, 2018) — The York Revolution earned a split with the Lancaster Barnstormers in a War of the Roses doubleheader on Tuesday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Revs hit their way to an 8-3 win in Game 2 after dropping a heartbreaker, 4-3 in extra innings in Game 1. York is now 5-3 in the second half, tied for first place in the Freedom Division.
The Barnstormers scored first in Game 1 off Revs starter Jonathan Sanchez to take an early lead, stemming from a double steal by Grant Desme and Rico Noel. Revs catcher Tyler Clark’s throw to third got away from third baseman Zach Wilson, allowing Desme to score on the play.
Lancaster starter Jonathan Albaladejo retired the Revs in order through the first four innings and didn’t allow a hit until Melky Mesa singled up the middle leading off the fifth.
The Revs managed to total five hits in the fifth and tied the game at 1-1 on Tyler Clark’s two-out RBI single to right field, but that was all they could score. Ryan Dent was thrown out at the plate by Barnstormers center fielder Darian Sanford trying to score the go ahead run on Travis Witherspoon’s single up the middle, and a double play erased a base runner earlier in the inning.
The Barnstormers retook the lead, 2-1 on Blake Gailen’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth, and they held that lead until the top of the seventh.
Lancaster went to closer Matt Reynolds for the save in the seventh and the Revs took advantage. Mesa led off the inning with a game-tying solo homer to right-center field and Michael Burgess followed with a go-ahead solo shot to right, giving the Revs a 2-1 lead. Mesa’s homer was his tenth of the season while Burgess’ was his eleventh.
Grant Sides came on for the save opportunity in the bottom of the seventh, but allowed the Barnstormers to tie the game at 2-2, suffering just his second blown save of the season. Blake Gailen tied the game on a sac fly to right, scoring Rico Noel who led off the inning with a bunt single. A throwing error on a Sandford bunt and a Tyler Bortnick bunt single also helped set the table, as the Barnstormers loaded the bases on three bunts with no outs. Sides allowed only the one unearned run, however, as Welington Dotel made a great running grab on a drive to deep left-center by Ryan Casteel, hauling in the second out and denying Lancaster on its bid to win it.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. Bortnick led off the frame and reached on a throwing error by Wilson at third base. Bortnick went first to third on Casteel’s single to left field, and never stopped running when Dotel tossed a throw in to second base, as the Barnstormers edged out a 4-3 walkoff win.
Kevin Munson (5-2) earned the win in relief for Lancaster while Junior Rincon (0-3) suffered the loss for York, charged with an unearned run.
The Revs kicked off the scoring in Game 2 to go up 1-0 on Mesa’s first-inning sac fly to center off Barnstormers starter John Anderson.
The Barnstormers came right back in the bottom of the first when Noel hit a two-run homer to right to make it 2-1 Lancaster.
Travis Witherspoon tied the game for the Revs in the top of the second on an RBI single to right-center field.
The Barnstormers kept pace and retook the lead on Carlos Garcia’s sac fly to right, making it a 3-2 game.
Continuing the back-and-forth trend, the Revs ripped off four runs in the top of the third. Ryan Dent drove in the tying run with an RBI infield single that ricocheted off Lancaster reliever Garrett Granitz’ leg. Witherspoon followed with a go-ahead two-RBI double down the right field line and Jared Mitchell tacked on another run with a sac fly to right, giving the Revs a 6-3 lead.
Catcher Isaias Tejeda, who was making his season debut, cranked a line-drive solo homer to right in the fifth to extend the Revs’ lead to 7-3. Tejeda went 3-for-4 in the game, collecting singles in his first two at-bats before the homer.
The Revs went on to score one more run on an error in the sixth and held on to win the nightcap of the doubleheader, 8-3.
Jailen Peguero (2-2) earned the win after throwing two and one-third perfect innings in relief, while Anderson (0-3) took the loss for Lancaster.
Up Next: The Revs will send LHP Logan Williamson to the mound on Wednesday night in the third of their four-game series with the Barnstormers. Lancaster will counter with RHP Joe Gardner. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 1350, woyk1350.com, The New WOYK app, & WOYK 1350 on YouTube beginning at 6:40 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Michael Marcantonini on the call.
Notes: The doubleheader concluded at 12:39 a.m., marking the fourth-latest ending in Revs history and latest since 2013. Ricardo Gomez struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 ninth inning, marking his 10th consecutive outing with multiple strikeouts; he has struck out 22 and walked just three in 10.2 innings during that stretch.
Story by Michael Marcantonini
Broadcaster/Media Relations Asst.
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