(July 22, 2023 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution showed off its high-octane offense on Saturday night, blasting four home runs and then racing past the Lancaster Barnstormers with a series of eye-opening baserunning plays in a big eighth inning rally in a 12-7 victory at WellSpan Park. The Revs draw even with the Barnstormers for first place in the second half and will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Troy Stokes Jr. was the offensive star. One night after going yard and driving in four runs, the Revs’ three-hole hitter belted two more homers and set a new career-high with six RBI, giving him 10 runs batted in for the series.
The Revs took four separate leads in the back-and-forth battle, finally putting the Barnstormers down for good with a big five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth.
York struck first as Stokes Jr. launched a towering two-run homer over the Arch Nemesis in the bottom of the first inning for a 2-0 lead.
Revs starter Tom Sutera kept Lancaster off the board early, benefiting from a Revs’ season-high-tying three double plays, all in the first four innings.
The Barnstormers eventually broke through with two outs in the fourth, scoring on RBI singles by Joseph Carpenter and Anthony Peroni to tie the game, before taking a 3-2 lead on a wild pitch.
Lancaster added two more in the fifth as Ariel Sandoval blooped an RBI single to center and scored an unearned run via Chad Sedio’s sac fly to left, giving the Barnstormers a 5-2 advantage.
Lancaster starter Brent Teller had not allowed a hit after the first inning home run until the Revs offense awoke with two outs in the fifth.
Trent Giambrone (nine-game hitting streak) kept the bottom of the fifth alive with a two-out single up the middle, and Tomo Otosaka legged out a bunt base hit, his 13th of the season, three shy of a Revs single-season record. The Revs fully capitalized as Stokes Jr. cracked a dramatic game-tying opposite field three-run homer to right center, notching the sixth multi-homer game of his career and his fourth such performance with York. Drew Mendoza crushed the very next pitch to deep right for his ninth of the year as the Revs went back-to-back, launching in front with a 6-5 lead.
Tasker Strobel worked out of a big spot in the top of the sixth, stranding two in scoring position to keep York ahead.
Lancaster drew even an inning later as Andretty Cordero led off the seventh with a game-tying homer to left, leveling the score at 6-6.
Giambrone connected on his team-leading 16th home run on a shot over the Nemesis in the bottom of the seventh, propelling the Revs right back on top with a 7-6 lead.
Lancaster tied the game one last time on an error with two outs in the top of the eighth.
Tied 7-7, the Revs set the table with a pair of walks in the bottom of the eighth and with two outs, went for the jugular. Things turned in York’s favor for good as pinch hitter Alejandro Rivero worked a walk from reliever Nick Duron. The fourth ball bounced to the backstop and would have loaded the bases, but lead runner Nellie Rodriguez came trucking around third base and rumbled all the way home on the wild pitch, out-hustling the Barnstormers for the go-ahead run and sending the WellSpan Park faithful into a frenzy. That sparked a five-run outburst as Giambrone drilled a two-run double off the fence in left center to give the Revs a 10-7 cushion. Jacob Rhinesmith scored from third on the gapper while Rivero jetted all the way from first base and slid hard at the plate, jarring the ball loose before slapping the plate with his right hand. Otosaka slashed an RBI single to left plating Giambrone who aggressively slid under Peroni’s tag attempt despite being beaten home by the relay throw. Stokes Jr. provided the exclamation mark, smoking an RBI double down the left field line for his first career six-RBI game.
Nelvin Correa worked past a leadoff single, retiring the next three batters on fly outs to secure the win.
Notes: The Revs improve to 26-11 as a home team and 27-11 at WellSpan Park. The Revs are 22-6 in their last 28 games at their home digs. York has won six of eight overall, 13 of the last 17, and 18 of the last 25 games. The Revs have reached 16 games over .500 at 45-29, the best record in franchise history through 74 games and their highest mark since late in the 2016 season. York leads the War of the Roses series 8-3, having won six straight and all five meetings in York. Stokes Jr. is 6-for-8 with three homers, a double, and 10 RBI in the series. He had already tied a career-high with five RBI for the third time this season before setting a new mark on his eighth inning double. It’s the Revs’ first six-RBI performance in more than a year. The multi-homer game is Stokes Jr.’s sixth of his career and fourth in a Revs uniform as he is the ninth in Revs history to tally at least four muti-homer performances. He now has 32 home runs in his Revs career (13 this season) and 97 in his pro career. Giambrone (3-for-5, double, homer, three RBI) is now batting .487 (19-for-39) on his nine-game hitting streak and .416 (32-for-77) with 11 doubles, six homers, and 19 RBI over his last 18 games. Revs righty Pedro Vasquez (4-1, 5.94) squares off with Lancaster lefty Jared Lakind (5-2, 2.48) on Sunday at 2 p.m. It is Ritmo de York presented by Bilingual Conexion, Sunday Funday presented by Weis Markets (Pre-game autograph session, Pre-game catch on the field, Post-game kids round the bases), and WellSpan Wellness Weekend: STEM/Technology. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
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