(June 24, 2019 – Waldorf, Md.): The York Revolution were held in check all night by one of the greats in Atlantic League history, dropping the series opener to Daryl Thompson and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, 5-1 on Monday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.
Thompson (4-6) held the Revs to one run on six hits over seven innings while striking out eight and walking just one. The win was the 49th of his Atlantic League career, fifth-most in league history.
With the game starting in a light rain, York threatened to strike first as Henry Castillo cracked a triple to the gap in right-center with one out in the first but that opportunity fizzled as Thompson struck out the next two batters.
Southern Maryland went ahead in the bottom of the second on a two-out RBI single to left-center by Edwin Garcia for a 1-0 lead.
The Revs answered in the third as Welington Dotel worked a leadoff walk and Justin Trapp pulled an RBI triple down the left field line to tie the game at 1-1. Trapp stood at third with no outs, but was thrown out attempting to score on a shallow fly to center by Alvaro Rondon, and the Revs never led.
After a 40-minute rain delay in the bottom of the third, Revs starter Corey Walter lost Joe Benson to a one-out walk and Jose Julio-Ruiz followed with a single to right. Both runners scored as Charlie Valerio drove a two-out, two-run triple to deep right, breaking the tie and giving the Crabs a 3-1 advantage.
Kent Blackstone added an RBI single to right an inning later to make it 4-1.
Walter (1-3) finished strong with scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth, but suffered the loss after being charged with four runs on seven hits in six innings of work.
Valerio (3-for-4, three RBI) added an insurance run on a first pitch home run to left-center leading off the bottom of the eighth. That run came against reliever Rob Carson who retired the other six batters he faced in two innings as the Revs only used one reliever.
James Dykstra and Mat Latos both tossed perfect innings out of the bullpen to close it out for the Blue Crabs.
Notes: York falls to 4-1 vs. Southern Maryland as Monday’s meeting was the first since a four-game Revs sweep in York, May 20-23. J.P. Sportman singled in the seventh, extending his hitting streak to 22 consecutive games, now tied for the fifth-longest in Revs history matching Nate Espy and Rayner Bautista who both reached that mark in 2007. Dotel singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Carlos Franco was held hitless in four at-bats, snapping a 10-game hitting streak. Dotel picked up his team-leading eighth outfield assist, throwing out Blackstone who rounded first base too far in the fourth; that total is already tied for the seventh-highest in a season in Revs history and the most since Brandon Boggs totaled eight in 2015. Dotel now has 13 outfield assists in his Revs career, tying Eric Patterson for seventh-most all-time. The Revs had a four-game road winning streak snapped, one shy of matching a franchise record. Southern Maryland improves to 10-7 in its last 17 games and has won four of its last five series while the Revs have won four consecutive series. Thompson is now 49-46 in his Atlantic League career and improves to just 3-10 all-time vs. York (2-1 the last two seasons). York will look to even the series on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. as Mitch Atkins (2-4, 3.51) goes up against lefty Tommy Thorpe (0-0, 3.38). Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and WOYK on YouTube beginning at 6:25 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
