BOX SCORE
Alonzo Harris launched a leadoff home, Frank Gailey spun six shutout innings, and the York Revolution won their seventh consecutive series finale, defeating the Bridgeport Bluefish, 4-1 on Thursday night at PeoplesBank Park. York improves to 11-9 in the second half, remaining just two games back of first place in the Freedom Division.
Harris’ home run to lead off the first came on just the second pitch thrown by Charles Brewer to give the Revs a 1-0 lead. It was the first time this season that the Revs have homered in their first at-bat of a game. For Harris it was his third straight game with a home run, as he tied Isaias Tejeda and Michael Burgess for the team lead with 11 long balls.
The Revs got a strong start from Gailey (8-7) who worked six shutout innings, giving up just four hits. He stranded runners at third base in the fifth and the sixth, working around a leadoff double by D’Arby Myers in the sixth, and earned his eighth victory of the season, good for second most in the Atlantic League.
Still leading 1-0 in the seventh, the Revs added on against Bridgeport reliever Vinnie Pestano. Jared Mitchell led off with a single and Carlos Triunfel followed with a double to left center to bring him home. Triunfel was pinch run for by Chase Simpson as a result of fouling a ball off his leg earlier in the at-bat. Ryan Dent sacrificed Simpson to third and with two outs, Harris came through again, this time with an opposite field single to right to make it 3-1 York.
The Bluefish loaded the bases in the top of the eighth against Ricardo Gomez with a walk, an error, and a bloop single. Gomez would escape allowing just an unearned run, however, brought home on a sac fly to left field from Sean Burroughs.
The Revs would tack on one more run in the home half of the eighth. Tejeda led off by scraping a single through the right side and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Burgess followed with a bouncer up the middle to push the lead to 4-1.
Brad Allen came on for the ninth and after yielding a leadoff walk, retired the next three batters to earn his 13th save of the season and first since July 16th, also against the Bluefish.
The Revs will hit the road this weekend for a three-game series at New Britain. Friday’s 6:35 p.m. start will feature York RHP Steve Janas (1-5, 4.88) facing New Britain LHP Nick Greenwood (1-2, 5.11). Darrell Henry will be on the air at 6:15 p.m. on 1350 WOYK as well as online at woyk1350.com and the WOYK App.
NOTES:
Harris has now reached base in all 31 home games this season, the fourth longest streak in Revs history. His first-inning leadoff home run was the Revs’ first since June 24, 2016 at Southern Maryland (Travis Witherspoon), and their first at home since July 2, 2014 vs. Southern Maryland (Justin Greene). The Revs have now won 7 straight finales and are 4-1-2 in those series. With two singles, Mitchell has now hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games played. Alexi Casilla saw his 23-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-4, but the streak finishes tied for the third-longest in Revs history with Vince Harrison (2011).