(September 2, 2021 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution put together another come-from-behind effort in a 7-5 win over the Long Island Ducks in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday night at PeoplesBank Park. The Revs have won seven of their last ten games overall and continue their 10-game homestand when they welcome another division rival, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
Long Island got out in front first with a run in the second. Deibinson Romero doubled to left center with one out. Ramon Flores followed with a single to center to move Romero to second. For the 1-0 lead, Hector Sanchez smacked a single into right.
The Ducks tacked on three more in the third with back-to-back home runs. Vladimir Frias led off the frame reaching on a Revs fielding error. With one out, Daniel Fields went yard to left for two runs. L.J. Mazzilli followed with a solo shot to left center for the 4-0 advantage.
York answered a half inning later with a pair of runs in the home third. Melky Mesa reached on a leadoff walk. A two-out rally ignited starting with Welington Dotel’s RBI double to score Mesa. Osmy Gregorio walked and Lenin Rodriguez plated Dotel with a single to right to make it 4-2.
Long Island got one of those runs back in the fourth, 5-2. With two outs, Frias singled to right. Steve Lombardozzi followed with his own base hit and Frias scored on an error before Lombardozzi was thrown out on the basepaths to end the inning.
In their fourth, York pulled within one, 5-4. For the second straight inning, the leadoff batter reached on a walk as James Harris worked a free pass. With one out, Mesa crushed a ball over the Arch Nemesis for his 12th home run of the season to make it a one-run game.
An inning later, the Revs took the lead in the fifth, again thanks to the home run. Rodriguez earned a leadoff single to right for his third base hit of the night. JC Encarnacion followed and belted a pinch-hit two-run home run to center for the 6-5 lead. The Revs proceeded to load the bases without a hit and on a wild pitch, Jack Kenley raced home for the insurance run and 7-5 tally.
York’s bullpen was outstanding, totaling five scoreless innings to support the comeback. Luis Sanchez (1-0) earned the win with a perfect fifth. Isaac Sanchez took care of a scoreless seventh. Brandon Fry worked out of a bases loaded, two-out jam in the seventh, striking out Chris Shaw looking. Alberto Rodriguez struck out the side in a perfect eighth, and Jim Fuller tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his league-leading 21st save.
Friday begins a four-game Labor Day weekend wraparound series with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. It is Dance Night, Fans Choice Night, Foodie Friday, and Fast Play Friday presented by PA Lottery. York lefty Austin Nicely (5-8, 3.57) makes the start for the Revs. Tickets are available at yorkrevolution.com, 717-801-HITS, or in-person in the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: Harris walked four times, tying a franchise record; he is the tenth Revs player to draw four walks in a single game, and first since Telvin Nash did it on August 30, 2019 at Southern Maryland. Encarnacion’s pinch-hit home run is just the sixth in Revs history and second this season (Andrew Dundon, July 30 at Lexington). Mesa’s home run was the 52nd of his Revs career, moving him past Isaias Tejeda for fourth on the franchise’s all-time list. The Revs homered 10 times in the three game series and 12 times in the last four games. Fuller’s 21 saves are one shy of matching Juan Rincon (2013) for the fourth-highest single-season total in Revs history. York has won five of six against Long Island over the last two weeks, evening the season series at 9-9. York has come back from deficits of five runs and four runs to win the last two games, improving to 21-20 in comeback decisions on the season. Alberto Rodriguez struck out multiple batters for the ninth time in his last 14 appearances and has struck out 22 batters in 13.2 innings on that stretch. Lenin Rodriguez went 3-for-4 and is 5-for-7 over his last two games.