(September 16, 2021 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution wrapped up a victory in the 2021 War of the Roses series the night before, but suffered a doubleheader sweep in the final two meetings of the season with the Lancaster Barnstormers, falling 7-4 and 6-3 on Thursday evening at PeoplesBank Park. The Revs see their three-game winning streak snapped as well as their six-game head-to-head winning streak against the Barnstormers, one shy of matching their all-time record. York falls to three games behind Long Island in the North Division and travels to Long Island for a three-game series this weekend.
Nellie Rodriguez started the scoring for York in the first game. After James Harris collected a leadoff single to left center, Rodriguez unleashed a two-run blast to left, his 18th of the season for a quick 2-0 lead.
Lancaster came right back and responded with two runs in the second. LeDarious Clark led off the frame with a double off the right centerfield wall. To cut York’s lead in half, Blake Gailen plated Clark on a base hit to left and moved himself to second on the throw towards the plate. For the 2-2 tie, Blake Allemand scored Gailen on a groundout to first.
The Barnstormers took the lead, 3-2, on a run in the third. Cleuluis Rondon began the inning with a leadoff base hit to center. With two outs, Kelly Dugan gave Lancaster the lead with a single to left after two groundouts had moved Rondon to third.
Continuing to tack on in the fourth, Caleb Gindl scored on Allemand’s double after reaching on a single up the middle for a 4-2 margin.
In the fifth, Lancaster continued to barrage York with three more runs. Melvin Mercedes grounded a leadoff double to left. An Alejandro De Aza bunt single moved Mercedes to third. For his second RBI of the day, Dugan hit a fly ball to deep right center allowing Mercedes to score on a sac fly. A Revs error then allowed Clark to reach with De Aza moving to second. Gindl delivered the big hit on a two-run single to right center for a 7-2 lead.
York battled back with a pair of runs in their fifth. Osmy Gregorio smacked a leadoff single to left. A pair of walks from Lancaster starter Augie Sylk followed to load the bases for York. Jack Kenley and Carlos Franco both worked walks with the bases loaded for two runs and a 7-4 score.
The Revs offense was held quiet from then on as Lancaster’s bullpen combined for three scoreless frames as York dropped the opening game, 7-4.
In the nightcap, Lancaster was the first team to the answer the bell scoring twice in the first. Mercedes led off the game with a walk and scored on an RBI double from De Aza with one out. Two more walks followed to load the bases and Devon Torrence plated De Aza on a sac fly to right. York was forced to go to the bullpen early as reliever Luis Sanchez finished the inning and left the bases loaded after retiring his first batter, Nick Shumpert, on a fly ball to center.
With Lancaster leading 2-0, York answered immediately in their first at the plate. Harris crushed a solo home run over the wall in left center, his second home run to lead off a game this season, for a 2-1 score.
In the third, Clark tagged his own leadoff home run to right pushing the Barnstormers’ lead to 3-1.
An insurance run crossed for the Barnstormers in the sixth. Torrence worked a walk and stole second with no one out. For a 4-1 lead, Anthony Peroni plated Torrence on a base hit to right-center but was thrown out trying to reach second.
York came within a run a half inning later. The first three Revs batters reached to load the bases with no one out against Lancaster righty Donald Goodson. Gregorio and Franco collected back-to-back RBI sac flies to right for two York runs trimming Lancaster’s advantage to one, 4-3.
Gindl got those two runs back for Lancaster in the seventh on a two-run home run to right center to make it 6-3 Barnstormers.
York righty Joey Lara (2-2, 8.74) starts Friday’s opener as the Revs look to rebound at Long Island, opposite Ducks lefty Darin Downs (4-4, 4.33). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and Revs fans can catch the action live on the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
