(June 24, 2022 – York, Pa.): Three long balls including two by Connor Lien and a walk-off double by Elmer Reyes pushed the York Revolution to a 6-5 victory over the Staten Island FerryHawks in the weekend series opener on Friday night at PeoplesBank Park as the Revs earned their second walk-off win of the season.
Staten Island jumped on York starter Eduardo Rivera early, opening the game with three consecutive extra-base hits including a two-run homer to right by Joseph Reyes for an immediate 2-0 lead.
York did not wait long to answer as in the home half of the first, Nellie Rodriguez connected on his ninth homer of the year, a two-run blast to left field to tie the game at 2-2.
Lien added to the power barrage to lead off the bottom of the third inning, blasting a long home run over the Arch Nemesis, his second in three games to give the Revs a 3-2 lead.
After Rivera had retired 10 straight, Staten Island gave him problems again in the fourth. After a double and walk with one out, Mariel Bautista poked an RBI single to center field and three batters later, leadoff man Joseph Monge worked a bases loaded walk to put the FerryHawks back on top, 4-3.
York chased Staten Island starter Nick Carrell in the fifth inning. After the righty hit Reyes with a pitch with one out, he hung yet another breaking ball that Lien demolished to left center for his second home run of the night, giving the Revs a 5-4 lead. After back-to-back walks followed the homer, Carrell was finally chased as his three starts against York remain his only starts this year in which he has not made it through the fifth inning.
Righty Brett De Geus relieved Rivera in his York debut, tossing two scoreless frames that included two strikeouts and a double play ball.
Nick Howard, fresh off a four-strikeout night on Wednesday, pitched the eighth with the one-run lead. Howard started off with a strikeout, but back-to-back walks and a passed ball put two in scoring position with one out. Howard finished strong, forcing a groundout back to the mound and freezing Bautista for another strikeout to end the inning. Five of Howard’s last six outs have come via strikeouts.
Jim Fuller entered the ninth with a 5-4 lead. After a groundout, nine-hole hitter Javier Betancourt doubled into the left center field gap and advanced to third one batter later on a flyout to right. With two outs and two strikes, pinch hitter Antoine Duplantis doubled to the left center field gap, just over Lien’s outstretched glove to tie the game at 5-5.
Troy Stokes Jr. reached with a one-out single in the bottom portion of the ninth, putting the winning run on-base for the Revs. With Reyes at the dish, Stokes Jr. took off for second and Reyes lined a hit toward the left field corner. Stokes Jr. rounded third and raced home, being called safe on a head-first slide despite the relay throw beating him. Staten Island emphatically argued the call while York celebrated with Reyes being chased into the outfield by his teammates.
The Revs will shoot for the series win on Saturday with Jorge Martinez on the bump against Matt Solter at 6:30 p.m. It is Go Green Night featuring a Silicone Pint Glass Giveaway presented by York County Solid Waste Authority. Postgame Fireworks are presented by Give Local York. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: Carlos Franco reached on a walk in the first inning, extending his on base streak to 37 consecutive games, bringing him within eight of Nate Espy’s franchise record of 45 set during the inaugural 2007 season. York is now 21-16 since May 13 and 8-4 in the last 12 games. Lien’s two-homer game is the seventh by a Revs hitter this season and the seventh of Lien’s career; his most recent came on June 3, 2021 at Wichita, with Double-A Arkansas in the Seattle Mariners organization.
