(August 4, 2021 – Lancaster, Pa.): Austin Nicely spun eight spectacular innings and the offense rode an eight-run third inning en route to a blowout victory in the second half opener as the York Revolution defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers, 12-3 on Wednesday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
For the fourth straight game, York got the first run on the board. James Harris worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on Jack Kenley’s free pass. After successfully stealing third, Harris ran home on a Lancaster throwing error for the 1-0 lead.
The Barnstormers tied it with a run of their own in the second. LeDarious Clark struck out but reached first base on a passed ball. After stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch, Clark scored the unearned tally on an Anderson De La Rosa groundout for the 1-1 tie.
In the third, the Revs exploded for eight runs on six hits. With one out, nine straight York hitters reached against Lancaster. Nellie Rodriguez started the barrage with a solo opposite field home run to right, breaking the tie at 2-1. York loaded the bases on starter Zach Smith on two singles and a walk. Osmy Gregorio knocked in the second run on a broken-bat single to left. Andrew Dundon immediately followed with a bases-loaded walk for a 4-1 lead. The hits for York got bigger from there as Harris doubled to left-center for two more runs. A walk to Kenley reloaded the bases for Melky Mesa. The outfielder cleared the bases with a three-run double, his 18th of the year, down the left field line for a 9-1 lead.
York continued to add to their lead with single runs in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. Harris homered in the fifth on a no-doubter to right for York’s 10th run of the night. After Gregorio’s leadoff single and Dundon’s walk in the seventh, Kenley drove in Gregorio on his own single to right, 11-1. For his third home run of the year and a 12-1 score, JC Encarnacion led off the eighth with a missile over the left field wall.
Lancaster did not go quietly in the ninth. Kelly Dugan worked a leadoff walk against Revs reliever Alberto Rodriguez. With one on and no outs, Clark crushed his eighth home run of the year to right-center, making it 12-3. Rodriguez settled in from there and set down the final three in-a-row to close out the victory.
Nicely (5-5, 3.61) was fantastic in his first start of the second half. The lefty allowed just an unearned run in eight innings on four hits, two walks, and struck out four. It marked the first time Nicely has worked past the seventh in his Revs career and the fourth time in his last five starts where he has gone six innings or more.
York concludes its three-game series in Lancaster on Thursday night. Eduardo Rivera (2-0, 2.70) makes his second start for the Revs opposite Barnstormers lefty Augie Sylk (2-3). 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 6:10 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Ray Jensen on the call.
Notes: York’s eight-run third inning tied its biggest inning of the season for the third time; the last time it occurred was in a franchise record ninth inning comeback at Lancaster on July 13. Nicely’s eight innings is his longest outing since working a nine-inning shutout on July 31, 2019 with Evansville of the Frontier League (at Lake Erie). Mesa’s three RBI give him 20 in his last 10 road starts and 14 in his last five games at Lancaster. The Revs bashed three home runs and have now hit multiple homers in five consecutive games (14 total).
