(May 11, 2024 – York, Pa.): After a two hour and 36-minute rain delay began the night, the York Revolution jumped all over the Gastonia Baseball Club with a 7-2 win on Saturday night at WellSpan Park to even the series at a game apiece on yet another cold and wet night in York. David Washington homered twice, Trey Martin went yard in a big first inning, and Chris Vallimont whiffed 11 Gastonia hitters, headlining a franchise record 18-strikeout performance as a team.
After managing just one run on Friday night, York wasted no time to break into the scoring column on Saturday and did so in a big way. After Matt McDermott and Kobe Kato led off the game with walks and moved up on a double steal, Donovan Casey ripped a two-run single back up the middle to open the scoring. Martin continued the barrage, driving his first home run of the season out to left-center field for a two-run blast. Jamari Baylor capped off the rally by reaching on an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 5-0.
Washington owned the offensive spotlight from there, unloading a tape measure shot in the third inning, a solo blast to left center field that carried over the carousel and off of the back advertisement wall. He added another over the Arch Nemesis in the fifth inning to make the lead 7-0.
On the mound, Vallimont was dominant for the Revs in his second start at WellSpan Park. After not allowing a hit in five innings in his opening start, Vallimont finally allowed his first hit in the third and his first runs in the sixth. Vallimont (1-1) finished his day with 11 strikeouts, which included stretches of four and five consecutive strikeouts. The only blemish to his outing was a two-run home run by Josh Stowers in the sixth after carrying a one-hitter through five.
Denny Bentley and Will Carter tossed scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Bentley struck out the side while Carter fanned a pair.
Gastonia put two runners on against Moises Lugo in the ninth inning, but Lugo responded by striking out back-to-back hitters to end the game.
Zach Neff takes the ball in the rubber match on Sunday at 2 p.m. and will be opposed by Ljay Newsome for Gastonia. It is Sunday Funday presented by Weis Markets, Boomer’s Book Club Bookmark Redemption Day#2 presented by Northern Central Railway, and Mother’s Day Bats & Bubbles. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: The Revs’ 9-5 record is their best through 14 games in franchise history. Vallimont’s 11 strikeouts were one shy of a career high which he set on May 4, 2019 with the Low-A Clinton LumberKings. He became the first Revs starter to strike out five in a row since Nick Raquet punched out five consecutive Long Island Ducks on August 30th, 2023. His 11 strikeouts were the most by a Revs starter since Jorge Martinez fanned 11 Lexington Legends on May 20, 2022; it was the 35th double-digit strikeout performance by a pitcher in Revs history. David Washington’s two-home run game was the third multi-HR game for a Revolution hitter this season (Kobe Kato 4/30 at Gastonia, Ciaran Devenney 5/3 at High Point). The 18 strikeouts by Revolution pitchers are the most in a nine-inning game in franchise history. This comes a night after nearly tying the previous record with 15 strikeouts in Friday’s opener; the previous record of 16 strikeouts had stood since 5/27/07. With the win, York has still not lost back-to-back games this season. The rain delay of 2:36 was the third longest in franchise history and second longest in WellSpan Park history. The five-run first inning is the Revs’ biggest first inning since scoring five in the first on 7/13/23 vs Spire City.
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