(August 13, 2021 – Gastonia, NC): The York Revolution erupted offensively and Joey Lara spun seven masterful innings in a 16-1 blowout victory over the Gastonia Honey Hunters on Friday evening at CaroMont Health Park. The win is the second straight for the Revs, who improve to 3-5 in the second half.
James Harris led a season-high 18-hit attack for the Revs offense, going 4-for-5 with five RBI including a three-run homer, one of three crushed by the Revs on the night.
Lara (1-0) allowed just an unearned run on five hits over seven innings to earn the win, retiring eight straight and 12 of 14 at one point. Of the five hits, two were infield hits and two were blooped into the shallow outfield.
Gastonia scored the game’s first run on a Jason Rogers ground out in the bottom of the first. That plated Boog Powell, their first batter of the contest, but no other Honey Hunters crossed home the rest of the night.
Gastonia starter Spencer Bivens retired his first seven batters before Lenin Rodriguez uncorked things with a ground rule double to deep center. Darian Sandford bunted for a hit, and Harris singled to center, tying the game at 1-1. Jack Kenley drilled a two-run double high off the right-center fence, and Nellie Rodriguez crushed a two-run homer to left-center for a five-run outburst, giving the Revs a 5-1 lead.
York added a sac fly from Melky Mesa in the fifth, and two-out RBI singles to center from Sandford and Harris in the sixth to go up 8-1.
The Revs exploded for six more in the seventh on a pair of three-run homers as Josue Herrera clobbered an opposite field shot to left-center and Harris smashed his third of the year on a drive to left.
Rodriguez and Welington Dotel capped the scoring with RBI singles nailed off the outfield fences in the top of the eighth.
Isaac Sanchez and Luis Sanchez each worked scoreless innings out of the Revs bullpen, finishing the tidy performance for the pitching staff.
Notes: The 16 runs are the third-highest total of the season for the Revs and their most in a game since June 4. The offense put up two innings of five or more runs in the same game for the second time this season (also June 3 at Gastonia). The 15-run margin of victory ties the second largest of the season (June 3 at Gastonia in a 20-5 win), one shy of the season-high (June 4 at Lancaster in an 18-2 win). Mesa singled in the seventh, extending his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games and 17 consecutive starts. York lefty Austin Nicely (4-5, 4.04) faces Gastonia right-hander AJ Merkel (4-2, 4.82) on Saturday at 6:50 p.m. 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 6:30 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
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