(May 16, 2023 – Central Islip, NY): Troy Stokes Jr. and Nellie Rodriguez belted solo home runs but that was the only scoring for the York Revolution in a 3-2 loss to the Long Island Ducks on Tuesday night at Fairfield Properties Ballpark. Revs starter Nick Raquet (2-1) turned in another strong start in a hard luck defeat.
The Revs threatened in the top of the first inning, loading the bases against Ducks starter Stephen Woods Jr. on a leadoff single by Trent Giambrone and a pair of two-out walks, but after forcing the Ducks hurler to throw 37 pitches, could not capitalize.
Long Island jumped on top in the bottom of the second as Joe DeCarlo, the league’s second-leading hitter entering play on Tuesday, socked a line drive two-run homer to left for a 2-0 lead.
The Revs led off each of the first three innings with singles but were unable to cash in until the fourth when Stokes Jr. drilled a leadoff homer to right-center, his third of the year, thrashing the deficit in half at 2-1.
Raquet worked out of big spots in the fifth and sixth to keep it a one-run contest. After quickly recording the first two outs in the fifth, a two-strike hit by pitch of Boog Powell extended the inning, before Adeiny Hechavarria singled and Daniel Murphy walked to load the bases. Raquet came back from behind 3-0 to strike out cleanup man Sam Travis, winning a tense battle to keep it a one-run game.
The Ducks set the table in the sixth with back-to-back singles but Raquet again escaped unscathed, retiring the next three.
Long Island tallied a crucial insurance run in the seventh as Hechavarria reached on an error and Murphy singled to center, ending Raquet’s evening after 6.1 innings. Reliever Nelvin Correa fanned Travis for the second out, but Alex Dickerson rapped an RBI double to right-center to make it a 3-1 game.
Rodriguez blasted a 432-foot solo homer to dead center with two outs in the eighth, his first of the year and 198th of his pro career, but the Revs were otherwise turned away offensively in the one-run loss.
York righty Jorge Martinez (2-1, 4.24) squares off with Long Island lefty Ian Clarkin (0-1, 3.97) on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. as the Revs (8-8) look to snap a three-game slide. York 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.
Notes: Rodriguez’ home run was the 52nd of his Revs career, moving past Isaias Tejeda for sole possession of sixth on the franchise’s all-time list. Giambrone (2-for-5) has hit safely in 10 consecutive games and reached base safely in 12 in-a-row.
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