(June 14, 2022 – Lexington, KY): Connor Lien crushed a grand slam to highlight a six-run 11th inning as the York Revolution downed the Lexington Legends 13-7 on Tuesday night at Wild Health Field.
The six-run 11th inning tied the biggest extra inning in franchise history (13th inning, August 26, 2015 at Lancaster in a 10-4 victory), and Lien’s grand slam was the second in Revs history to come in extra innings as James Shanks did it 11 years ago to the day in the 12th inning of a 7-3 victory at Somerset.
York held a 7-3 lead until the Legends loaded the bases with no outs against reliever Robinson Parra in the bottom of the eighth, and Philip Ervin greeted righty Nick Howard with a stunning game-tying grand slam to dead center.
Isaac Sanchez struck out Courtney Hawkins to leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, forcing extras.
After both teams went down in order in the 10th, the Revs’ rally in the 11th began with a hiccup as Jhon Nunez singled to left, but Jack Kenley was denied trying to score thanks to Hawkins’ throw to the plate from left field, keeping the game tied. Troy Stokes Jr. was hit by a pitch to reignite the threat, and Nunez scored the go-ahead run on a grounder that snuck past shortstop Manuel Geraldo for an error giving the Revs an 8-7 lead. Nellie Rodriguez added insurance on a two-out RBI double to left-center, and after a walk to Carlos Franco, Lien launched his dramatic, heroic grand slam to left-center to put the victory on ice.
Jim Fuller (1-3) earned the win, following a six-pitch 10th inning with another 1-2-3 frame in the 11th.
The Revs trailed 3-0 and did not have a hit before exploding for five runs in the fifth.
Lien singled to left for the first hit off Legends starter Daniel Corcino and scored when Josue Herrera followed with a double to right-center. Kenley reached on an infield hit putting runners at the corners with no outs. Down 3-1, the Revs were in danger of missing a bigger opportunity as Corcino struck out the next two, but Elmer Reyes ripped a game-tying two-run single up the middle with two outs, and Melky Mesa hammered a two-run homer to left as the rally erupted into a 5-3 lead.
Reyes and Franco added RBI singles in the seventh to make it a 7-3 game.
Revs starter Alex Sanabia made his first start in three weeks, returning from injury. The righty went five innings in a no-decision, allowing three runs as the Legends scored on a two-out RBI single by Blake Swihart in the second, and a two-run homer to left by Hawkins, his 17th, with two outs in the third.
York improves to 2-3 in extra innings on the season, notching their first extra-inning win since May 4 vs. Gastonia. The game was the Revs’ longest of the season in both innings and time (4:15).
The Legends stranded 16 runners, the most by a Revs opponent this season.
Notes: Mesa’s homer is his sixth of the season and the 64th of his Revs career, third most all-time and now two shy of matching Andres Perez for second on the all-time franchise home run list. York improves to 4-3 on the current road trip with back-to-back wins and three of four in Kentucky. The Revs are now 16-13 since May 13. Revs manager Mark Mason earned the 570th win of his Revs career, one win shy of tying former Long Island manager Kevin Baez for fifth in Atlantic League history, and two wins shy of matching former Bridgeport skipper Willie Upshaw for fourth. York righty Nick Travieso faces Lexington’s Ben Ludwig on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. 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 12 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
