(September 7, 2021 – Lancaster, Pa.): The York Revolution enjoyed a huge night offensively and a lights-out effort from the bullpen in a 13-6 win over the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The win is the fourth straight on the road for the Revs who have won 10 of their last 15 overall, pulling within one game of Lancaster for second place and just two games back of Southern Maryland for first place in the Atlantic League’s North Division.
Among Tuesday’s top performers were Melky Mesa who went 5-for-5, Carlos Franco who clobbered a grand slam and drove in five, and the bullpen which combined to allow just one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings. Alberto Rodriguez (5-3) earned the win with two scoreless frames and cracked a two-run double to help the cause.
The Revs got off to a hot start with each of their first six batters reaching against Lancaster starter Dominic DiSabatino. James Harris worked a leadoff walk, Jack Kenley singled to right, and Mesa loaded the bases on a single to left. For the first run of the night, Nellie Rodriguez worked a bases-loaded walk. York then blew it open a batter later when Franco crushed a grand slam to right for the 5-0 lead.
Lancaster answered immediately in their first inning. Caleb Gindl led off the frame with a solo home run to right, his eighth leadoff home run of the season.
With a 5-1 lead after two innings, York tacked on two more to make it 7-1 in the third. All with two outs, Josue Herrera connected on his eighth home run of the year on a solo shot to right center. Osmy Gregorio reached on an error and moved to second due to an errant throw on a pickoff attempt from Lancaster catcher Anthony Peroni. For the second run, Lenin Rodriguez plated Gregorio on a base hit to left.
In their third inning, the Barnstormers again had an answer. Cleuluis Rondon worked a leadoff walk followed by back-to-back singles from Gindl and Blake Allemand loaded the bases with no one out. After Alejandro De Aza lined out to first, Blake Gailen smacked a single to right-center for two runs. Lancaster finished their scoring in the third on a fielder’s choice from Kelly Dugan allowing Allemand to score making it 7-4.
Gindl’s bat made it a one-run game, 7-6 in the fourth. After Jake Hoover was issued a free pass, Gindl smoked another home run to right to cut it to a one-run margin, tying Lancaster’s single-season record with his 29th home run of the year.
York got a bunch of insurance in the sixth with four runs on just two hits. Four walks came back to hurt Lancaster reliever Donald Goodson. Harris and Kenley worked the first pair in back-to-back fashion. Mesa continued his big night at the plate as his fourth hit, a single to right, plated Harris for an 8-6 lead. The second Revs run came in on a double play as Kenley raced home on a twin killing hit into by Nellie Rodriguez. With two outs, Franco and Welington Dotel worked the second pair of walks in the frame. York reliever Alberto Rodriguez drove in both men on a double to deep left field for an 11-6 advantage.
A pair of Revs runs crossed in the eighth. Mesa collected his fifth hit on a leadoff single to center, followed by a base on balls to Nellie Rodriguez. For his fifth run batted in, Franco sliced a ball into left center for the 12th run of York’s night. A batter later, Dotel got his name into the RBI column for the eighth time in the last nine games on a fielder’s choice that scored Rodriguez for the 13-6 lead.
York continues their final visit of the season to Lancaster on Wednesday as Austin Nicely (6-8, 3.40) makes the start for the Revs. Lancaster will counter with right hander Nile Ball (2-4, 4.96). Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:10 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Ray Jensen on the call.
Notes: The four-game road winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest in franchise history. Mesa’s five-hit game is the first by a Revs batter since Franco did it on June 14, 2019 at Lancaster. Mesa is batting .436 in his last 24 road games and is 20-for-30 (.667) in his last seven games in Lancaster. Franco’s five-RBI game is the first of his Revs career; he now has 33 RBI in just 21 games with York this season and has four homers and 15 RBI in seven starts since returning from the Mexican League. Franco’s grand slam is his second of the season and the team’s fifth. With two home runs, the Revs have now belted 21 homers in the last nine games. York’s bullpen has allowed just 16 hits and five earned runs in 29.0 innings over the last eight games, posting a 1.55 ERA. Alberto Rodriguez has allowed just two hits and no earned runs in 12.2 innings over his last 12 appearances; his two-run double was the first hit of his pro career. Dotel now has a season-best 10-game hitting streak and has 13 RBI in his last nine games.
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