(September 16, 2018) -- The York Revolution finished off an impressive 2018 season with a 6-1 win over the Somerset Patriots on Sunday afternoon at PeoplesBank Park. The Revs ended up 10 games over .500 at 68-58 while going 36-27 in the second half.
Revs starter Carl Brice and Patriots starter Rick Teasley both looked good early as the game remained scoreless through three innings.
Brice had some help from his defense as Melky Mesa threw out Mike Fransoso at the plate to end the top of the second and Travis Witherspoon cut down Alfredo Rodriguez at the plate on an 8-2 double play with the bases loaded in the third.
The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Scott Kelly’s two-out RBI double to left center.
Brice allowed just that one run in four sharp innings, striking out a season-high six batters.
Jailen Peguero tossed a scoreless fifth inning with two strikeouts in relief of Brice.
Alonzo Harris gave the Revs a 3-1 lead on one swing in the fifth when he blasted a three-run home run over the Arch Nemesis in left off Teasley. Witherspoon reached on an infield single earlier in the inning and Tyler Clark drew a two-out walk to bring Harris to the plate.
Michael Click came on for the sixth inning and stranded two in scoring position in the final game of his career, tipping his cap as he walked off the field after a scoreless frame.
Jonathan de Marte got a double play with runners at first and third to end a scoreless seventh.
Ricardo Gomez made his first appearance since Sept. 1 and struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth, holding the 3-1 lead.
Mesa added to his incredible season with an RBI double over Justin Trapp’s head in right in the bottom of the eighth. The hit pushed his batting average to .337, one point shy of the league lead, and gave him 89 RBIs in 100 games on the season, just two shy of the league lead. Isaias Tejeda added an RBI groundout and Welington Dotel kept the rally going with an RBI single to left-center off Patriots reliever Nate Roe, extending the Revs’ lead to 6-1.
Dustin Richardson was called on for the ninth and followed the bullpen’s trend with a scoreless inning of work, closing out the season with the pitching staff’s 13th strikeout of the game.
Notes: The Revs finish the season 42-29 at home. York won nine of its last 12, 12 of 16, 16 of 21, and went 26-14 from August 4-on. Harris closed the season on a 12-game hitting streak, tied for the Revs' third-longest of the year. Mesa's 89 RBI rank sixth-most in a season in franchise history, while he became the first in Revs history to lead the league in extra-base hits (48). Mesa also ended the season by leading the league with a .577 slugging percentage, the second-highest mark in a season in Revs history. His .337 average ranks tied for third in Revs history for a single season. Alexi Casilla did not play on Sunday and finished with a .336 average, fourth-highest in the league and fifth-highest in a season in franchise history. During an on-field ceremony prior to the game, Mesa was honored as the organization's Player of the Year. RHP Mitch Atkins was honored as the team's Pitcher of the Year, and LHP Robert Carson was named the 2018 Corey Thurman Community Player of the Year award winner.
Story by Michael Marcantonini
Broadcaster/Media Relations Asst.
