(August 9, 2022 – Charleston, WV): The York Revolution squandered a pair of leads on Tuesday night, dropping a wild 9-8 decision to the Charleston Dirty Birds in the series opener at Appalachian Power Park. York’s offense was powered by three home runs but it was a two-out, two-run double by Charleston’s Scott Kelly in the bottom of the ninth that ended the four-hour struggle.
York built a 6-0 lead by the top of the third inning, scoring runs in each of the first two innings and four more in the top of the third.
JC Encarnacion led off the game with a bloop double and advanced to third on Elmer Reyes’ deep fly ball to center. That set up Telvin Nash who drove a sac fly to deep center, plating Encarnacion with the game’s first run.
Melky Mesa slugged a solo homer off the video board in left center in the top of the second. His 11th of the season and 69th of his Revs career (second-most all-time) doubled the lead to 2-0.
Nash ripped an RBI single into left in the third inning and Nellie Rodriguez slammed a tape measure three-run home run to deep left, ballooning the lead to 6-0 on his 17th of the season.
The Dirty Birds cut that lead in half in the bottom of the third as Nick Heath skied a three-run homer to right, slicing the lead in half at 6-3.
Charleston rallied for three more runs on four singles an inning later, scoring on a Kelly base hit and on a two-out, two-run single to center by Anfernee Seymour, tying the game at 6-6.
York went back ahead in the sixth as Encarnacion worked a two-out bases loaded walk. Encarnacion helped preserve that lead defensively with a great running grab in right center to help reliever Yoel Espinal escape a bases loaded pickle for a scoreless sixth inning in his York debut.
Nash clobbered a laser solo homer to left center in the top of the seventh, extending the lead to 8-6. It was his ninth home run in just 20 games since returning to the Revs and the 103rd of his Atlantic League career, moving into a tie for ninth most all-time in league history.
Charleston made it a one-run game on an RBI single up the middle by Yovan Gonzalez in the bottom of the eighth.
Revs closer Jim Fuller found himself a strike away from closing the victory, but Kelly dashed those hopes with a two-run game-winning double down the third base line, providing the 9-8 final.
The Revs will look to even the series on Wednesday at 6:35 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 6:15 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
