(August 17, 2023 – Gastonia, NC): The York Revolution offense suffered through a season-high 15-strikeout night, falling to the Gastonia Honey Hunters, 5-2 in their series rubber match at CaroMont Health Park on Thursday evening. The Revs slip to 1.5 games back of first place with the defeat.
Gastonia starter Zach Mort (11-2) struck out 14 batters in seven innings while tying Revs lefty Nick Raquet for the league lead in victories with his 11th. The strikeout total marked the most in a game in the Atlantic League this season and the most ever by an opposing pitcher against the Revs in a single game.
Mort struck out his first four batters of the game, one of two streaks of four consecutive strikeouts that he enjoyed on the night. He walked just one and allowed only one run on five hits with a very efficient pitch count of just 91 pitches in his seven frames.
York starter Andrew Cabezas (1-3) matched Mort with zeroes through the first three innings and did not allow a hit during that stretch.
After a leadoff walk to start the first, Cabezas retired his next nine-in-a-row before a walk to Luis Curbelo sparked a rally for the Honey Hunters in the fourth. Zach Jarrett followed with a single up the middle, and Scott Manea drove an RBI double to right for the game’s first run. David Washington reached on what was scored an RBI single on a pop up that plopped in shallow center when center fielder Tomo Otosaka collided with shortstop Alexis Pantoja who was attempting to make the catch. Braxton Davidson later doubled to left center to drive in another, and Pedro Gonzalez capped the four-run rally with a sac fly to center as Gastonia took a 4-0 lead.
Cabezas rebounded to work scoreless ball over the next two innings, finishing a season high-tying six frames while tying a season-high with seven strikeouts in the loss.
York got on the board in the sixth when Trent Giambrone led off with a double to left and scored on a bouncing single up the middle by Otosaka to bring the Revs within 4-1.
York righty Nick Parker worked out of a bases loaded two-out spot to handle a scoreless seventh, but Gastonia added an insurance run without a hit in the eighth, as a pair of walks and a wild pitch set up an RBI ground out by Kevin Santa against Revs reliever Will Carter to make it a 5-1 game.
Trey Martin nailed a one-out double in the top of the ninth, setting the table for an RBI ground out by Drew Mendoza but Honey Hunters lefty Sam Freeman allowed nothing further, closing out the game.
The Revs will look to rebound when they open the final leg of their three-series road trip on Friday night at High Point. Raquet (11-6, 3.83) faces Rockers righty Jheyson Manzueta (5-1, 4.50) at 6:35 p.m. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and FloBaseball.TV beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
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