The York Revolution both led by as many as three and trailed by as many as three, but in a rubber game against the Lancaster Barnstormers, came back to win 10-9 behind a four-hit, six-RBI performance from Ryan Dent on Sunday afternoon at PeoplesBank Park.
The Revs jumped out to an early lead in the first, beginning with an Angel Franco homer to left center, his second of the season. Then with two outs, Michael Burgess singled and Alexi Casilla doubled, high off the Arch Nemesis in left, setting up Dent for a two-RBI single to center to give York a 3-0 advantage.
Steve Janas retired the first six batters he faced, but then ran into trouble in the third inning. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Trayvon Robinson and Garrett Weber followed with a home run to center, just right of the batter’s eye, for the first Barnstormer hit of the game. Blake Gailen added a solo shot three batters later, as Lancaster ended up batting around, scoring six in the frame.
The Revs, however, would answer immediately. Casilla reached on an infield single to shortstop, and Dent came through for a second time, driving an RBI double to the left center gap. Then with two outs, Carlos Triunfel chopped a single through the right side to bring Dent home, cutting the deficit to 6-5.
The Revs would then tie it at 6-6 in the fifth inning, as they loaded the bases with one out. While they were unable to blow the game open, Franco did hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Derrick Robinson, knotting the score.
The seesaw battle continued as the Barnstormers wasted no time in getting the lead right back. Robinson and Weber worked back-to-back walks to begin the sixth. Rico Noel followed with a single to load the bases, and Gailen came through with a run scoring single to right to make it 7-6. Joe Van Meter, who allowed the inherited runner to score, would come up big, striking out the next two batters to end the threat.
York would then answer with three runs to go back in front. Burgess led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk and Casilla attempted to bunt him to second, but Barnstormer reliever R.J. Hiveley threw the ball away, setting up second and third with no outs. Dent promptly answered the call again, grounding one back up the middle to plate both runs. Later in the inning, Jared Mitchell singled down the right field line to plate Triunfel who had reached on a walk making it a 9-7 York lead.
With one out in the seventh, Lastings Milledge hit a liner to the gap in right center field, but Mitchell laid out to make what appeared to be a highlight reel catch, going full extension above the ground. The umpires convened, however, and overruled the call on the field. The Barnstormers would go on to score two in the inning on back-to-back two-out singles to tie the game at 9-9.
York was able to muster one final answer as Casilla was hit by a pitch from reliever Kevin Munson with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The next batter was Dent who once again answered the call with a double to right center, as Casilla came all the way around from first to score the eventual game winning run.
Brad Allen came in for a four-out save, ending his day with a double play ball and a strikeout in the ninth for his sixth save of the season, as the Revs won their first series rubber match of the season. Manny Corpas (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in relief.
After a day off on Monday, the Revs will host the New Britain Bees in a doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 5 p.m. at PeoplesBank Park. It’s Hockey Night at the ballpark, as well as a WellSpan Sports Medicine Silver Slugger Tuesday. For tickets to the game visit YorkRevolution.com, the Apple Chevrolet Ticket office, or call 717-801-HITS.
Darrell Henry and Matt Present will be on the air just before the first pitch of game one, and you can catch all the action on SportsRadio 1350 WOYK as well as online at woyk1350.com and on the WOYK App.
Notes: The Revs improve to 4-3 head-to-head against Lancaster on the season. York’s 15 hits were a season-high, while its 10 runs marked the third time they’ve scored in double digits and first since May 20 in a 10-5 win at Sugar Land. The six-run third by Lancaster was just the second time the Revs have allowed more than four runs in an inning all season. The Revs tallied at least one hit in every inning. Casilla went 3-for-3 with four runs scored, and marked his second consecutive full game played with a three-hit performance. Dent’s six RBI tied the fourth most in a game in Revs history, and set a personal career-high; he had previously tallied five RBI in a game on June 30, 2009 with Greenville (at Charleston), and on April 3, 2014 with Salem (at Myrtle Beach), both while in the Boston Red Sox organization. Triunfel went 3-for-4. Mitchell stole second base in the bottom of the sixth, giving him 31 stolen bases in his Revs career, moving into a tie for seventh most in franchise history. The final score was the highest combined total between the Revs and their opponents in a game this season.
