(July 15, 2021 – Lancaster, Pa.): The York Revolution were one out away from a series sweep and a fifth consecutive win but fell to the Lancaster Barnstormers, 10-9 on a three-run ninth inning rally Thursday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Revs settle for taking two of three in the series as their season-best winning streak is halted at four games with the week-long road swing continuing to Long Island on Friday night.
Lancaster took an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Caleb Gindl led off the inning with his league lead-tying 15th home run to right field. Three of the next four batters reached on base hits with Alejandro De Aza’s single to right bringing home Blake Gailen. Anderson De La Rosa cleared the bases for the final two runs with a line drive double to right-center.
The Revs immediately shrugged it off and tied it at 4-4 a half inning later. Leading off in the second, Welington Dotel ran out an infield hit and stole second. James Harris brought home his fellow outfielder on a single to left. With one out, Tyler Hill walked to load the bases. Darian Sandford hit into a fielder’s choice as Jack Kenley was thrown out at the plate for the second out. York drove in the final three runs of the inning from there, however, as Yan Sanchez walked in a run and Melky Mesa plated two on a hard-hit double to right.
Courtesy of the long ball, York built a four-run lead, 8-4, on three home runs between the third and fifth frames.
In the third, Dotel crushed a lead-off home run to right center, his third of the season.
Carlos Castro, announced as the Atlantic League Player of the Month for June earlier in the day, led off the fifth with his 11th home run of the year on a blast to right-center. After Kenley walked, Josue Herrera hit a no-doubter to right center for a two-run bomb and the four-run cushion.
Lancaster threatened in the seventh with two runs on three hits. After retiring Melvin Mercedes on just one pitch, the next four reached safely against Revs reliever Alberto Rodriguez. Gailen walked, Trayvon Robinson poked a single into right, and De Aza plated both on a ground ball to center to make it 8-6.
The Barnstormers refused to stay silent at the plate in the eighth. Cleuluis Rondon was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI double from Gindl. With Lancaster within one, 8-7, and still no outs, the Revs received a huge defensive play as Mercedes tapped one back to Revs reliever Bubby Rossman. Requiring no assistance, Rossman completed a groundball double play himself, tagging both Gindl who was caught between second and third, and Mercedes attempting to reach second.
York added insurance in the ninth as Mesa slammed his third home run in as many nights with a moon shot to left field for a 9-7 lead on the Revs’ season-high fourth home run of the game.
Victor Capellan was an out away from closing it out with just one runner aboard, but disaster struck as the Barnstormers bled the Revs with a series of softly-hit balls for the game-deciding rally. De La Rosa kept it alive with a ground ball infield hit up the middle. Nick Shumpert made it a one-run game on a bloop single to shallow right-center. Rondon delivered a broken bat flare over Capellan’s outstretched glove, landing in the middle of the infield to tie the game in stunning fashion. Gindl capped it with a walk-off single to right-center, denying the Revs of what would have been their sixth sweep all-time vs. Lancaster and their third at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
York begins a three-game set at Long Island on Friday. Austin Nicely (4-3, 4.57) will make his ninth start of the year. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
