(August 24, 2021 – Central Islip, NY): The York Revolution used a trio of home runs and a strong effort on the mound to defeat the Long Island Ducks, 6-3 on Tuesday night in front of 4,093 fans at Fairfield Properties Ballpark. The win is the second straight for the Revs who pull within three games of first and will aim for a series victory in the second of the three-game visit on Wednesday evening.
The Revs played long ball to open the scoring. After Welington Dotel cracked a leadoff double to the gap in deep right-center, Josue Herrera drilled a first pitch two-run homer to right for a 2-0 lead, giving him three home runs and eight RBI over his last four games.
Jack Kenley led off the third with a towering first pitch home run to right, his seventh of the year, increasing the lead to 3-0 an inning later.
The Ducks pieced together a two-out rally in the third as a pair of walks loaded the bases for Nick Bottari whose two-run single to right-center dwindled York’s lead to 3-2.
The Revs answered right back with a run in the fourth as Osmy Gregorio hammered a one-out double to left, moved to third on a Lenin Rodriguez single up the middle, and came home on Darian Sandford’s line drive sac fly to left-center for a 4-2 lead.
It remained that way until the eighth when Gregorio crushed a solo home run off the scoreboard in left-center, providing the Revs’ fifth run on his fifth tater of the year.
Long Island threatened in the bottom of the eighth, scoring on a wild pitch by reliever Isaac Sanchez to cut it to 5-3. Alberto Rodriguez took over with the bases loaded and one out, and induced a huge double play off the bat of Vladimir Frias to end the threat.
Nellie Rodriguez blooped a two-out RBI single to shallow right-center in the top of the ninth for the Revs’ final insurance tally of the evening, as Jim Fuller stranded a pair of singles in the bottom half for his league-leading 17th save.
York starter Eduardo Rivera (3-2) earned the win, holding Long Island to two runs on six hits over five innings while striking out six.
Isaac Cruz and Brandon Fry retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Revs and Ducks play the middle game of the series Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. York righty Jhoendri Herrera (1-1) faces Long Island right-hander Brendan Feldmann (4-2, 5.17). Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and on the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
Notes: The Revs have homered in eight of the last nine games, totaling 16 homers on that stretch. York snapped a six-game losing streak vs. Long Island. Fry worked scoreless ball for the sixth time in his last seven outings. Sanchez had a five-appearance scoreless streak snapped. Alberto Rodriguez has allowed just one hit and one unearned run in 6.2 innings over his last six appearances.