(June 28, 2018) - The York Revolution erupted for 19 hits, outslugging the Long Island Ducks, 12-7 in Thursday's series finale in front of 4,168 fans at Bethpage Ballpark. The Revs earn a four-game split, and return home to kick off a seven-game homestand on Friday evening.
The Revs struck early, tying a season-best with five consecutive hits, all coming with two outs in the first inning as they staked an early 3-0 lead. Welington Dotel and Melky Mesa kept the inning alive with singles. Michael Burgess drilled an RBI double to deep left-center for the first run. Jose Cuevas followed with a high chopper to third for an RBI infield hit. Ryan Dent capped the outburst with a line drive RBI double down the left field line.
Long Island answered with a run in its half of the first as Lew Ford doubled and scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Travis Snider ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the third to cut York's lead to 3-2, but Revs starter Robert Carson struck out David Washington and retired Puckett on a fly out to left, leaving the bases loaded.
The Revs exploded for five more runs in the fifth, building a commanding 8-2 lead. York put together another string of five consecutive hits, this time to begin the inning, using a total of seven hits in the big frame, tying a season-high for hits in one inning. Dotel, Mesa, and Burgess all singled to load the bases with no outs. Cuevas lined an RBI single to left, and Washington threw errantly toward third base allowing another run to cross. Dent crushed a three-run homer to left to punctuate the rally.
Carson (5-2) finished strong, striking out the side in the fifth to strand two runners. The lefty allowed two runs in five innings, striking out five while walking just one and improved to 2-0 in three outings as a starter.
York added a run in the sixth to go up 9-2 as Mesa doubled off the wall in right-center and scored on a single to left by Cuevas.
The Ducks had a five-run inning of their own in the tank, pulling within 9-7 in the sixth inning. Cody Puckett was hit by a pitch from reliever Jailen Peguero to start the inning, and singles by Ramon Cabrera and Anthony Vega loaded the bases. RBI ground outs from Dan Lyons and Jordany Valdespin brought the first two runners home, while Lyons singled off Casilla's glove at second to make it 9-5. Snider greeted lefty reliever Luke Westphal with a two-run homer to right-center, as the Ducks were suddenly back within striking distance.
Casilla gave the Revs a huge boost with a two-out RBI triple to right-center in the top of the seventh, increasing the lead to 10-7.
Ricardo Gomez struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh before Cabrera singled and Vega doubled to bring the tying run to the plate. Gomez retired pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio on a pop up to short to end the threat, as the Ducks never threatened again.
The Revs applied the finishing touches on the offensive side of the ledger with two more runs in the eighth, scoring on a Puckett throwing error and an RBI fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Dent.
Junior Rincon and Grant Sides closed out the win with scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Ducks starter Jake Fisher (3-3) suffered the loss, as the Revs tagged the lefty for eight runs on 13 hits in 4.2 innings. He entered the night 10th in the Atlantic League in ERA and second in strike outs while leading the league in innings, but was chased before finishing five innings for the first time this season.
York's 19 hits finished one shy of matching a season-high. Mesa and Burgess became the fourth and fifth Revs batters to tally four hits in a game this season as both went 4-for-5. Mesa totaled a Revs' season-best four runs scored. Cuevas went 3-for-5 with three RBI, and Dent was 2-for-5 with a double, homer, and five RBI, one shy of matching his Revs career-best.
Notes: Gomez tied Corey Thurman for second in Revs history in appearances, making his 181st outing in a York uniform; he now trails only Stephen Penney (220) on the Revs' career list. With two strike outs, Gomez has now struck out 12 batters in six innings over his last five outings. The run allowed by Westphal snapped an 11-inning, 12-appearance scoreless streak, season-bests for a Revs reliever. York had batted just .216 as a team over the previous eight games before Thursday's outburst. Dotel notched his third consecutive multi-hit game. Mesa is now batting .412 (14-for-34) on an eight-game hitting streak. Cuevas notched his third three-hit game and third three-RBI game of the season; he now has seven RBI in his last four games, and 13 RBI in his last 13 games. Revs lefty Logan Williamson faces Somerset right-hander Cory Riordan in Friday's opener at 6:30 p.m. It is Harry Potter Night at PeoplesBank Park, and Boy Scout Night presented by UPMC Pinnacle. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Revs Ticket Office.
