(August 24, 2018) -- Mitch Atkins fired seven shutout innings to lead the York Revolution to a 5-0 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on Friday night at PeoplesBank Park. It’s the Revs’ ninth shutout win this season and third win on their current seven-game homestand.
The game was a pitcher’s duel from the start between Atkins and Southern Maryland right-hander Brett Marshall.
Atkins struck out the side in the fifth and worked out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the sixth to keep the game scoreless. He followed that up by retiring the Crabs in order in the seventh with two more strikeouts.
With the game scoreless through four innings, Marshall held the Revs scoreless in the fifth and sixth despite facing a first-and-third, one-out situation in both innings. He got Jared Mitchell to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth, and struck out Welington Dotel and Ryan Dent with sliders to end the Revs’ threat in the sixth.
Marshall left the game after six shutout innings. He racked up seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter while scattering eight hits.
Sam Runion took over for Marshall in the bottom of the seventh and allowed a leadoff double to Travis Witherspoon. Steven Figueroa brought Witherspoon home on a line-drive double down the left field line for his third hit of the night in his Atlantic League debut to give the Revs a 1-0 lead.
Mitchell followed Figueroa with a fly ball to the wall in left that Blue Crabs left fielder Ryan Strausborger misplayed to set up second and third for Casilla, who hit a sac fly to deep right, giving the Revs an insurance run to go up 2-0.
Atkins held the Crabs to just four hits through seven shutout innings and left in line for the win before turning the game over to the bullpen. Atkins struck out nine batters with only one walk and fanned at least two batters in three separate innings.
Ricardo Gomez struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 eighth inning to hold the lead.
The Revs tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Shane Watson. Witherspoon smacked an RBI single to left-center and Roger Diaz hit a two-RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 5-0.
Dustin Richardson came on for the ninth and tossed a scoreless frame to finish off the shutout.
Atkins (11-5) became the first Atlantic League pitcher to 11 wins while Runion (1-6) suffered the loss in relief for the Blue Crabs.
Notes: Atkins has won 11 of his last 15 starts, and four of his last five. He’s worked at least 6.0 innings in 12 of his 21 starts, and each of his last six. He’s worked at least 7.0 innings in six starts, including two of his last four. It was Atkins’ fourth time this season not allowing a run. Atkins now ranks 1st in the league in wins (11), T-1st in starts (21), 2nd in innings (121.1), 2nd in strikeouts (112) and 1st in strikeouts among active pitchers, and 8th in ERA (3.63). Figueroa went 3-for-4 in his Revs debut with hits in each of his first three at-bats, including a game-winning RBI double in the seventh inning. The bottom three hitters in the Revs order of Witherspoon, Diaz and Figueroa combined to go 8-for-12 with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs. Eight of the Revs’ nine starters had at least one hit and four had multiple hits.
Up Next: Game 2 of the three-game series between the Revs and Blue Crabs will start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. LHP Robert Carson (7-6, 3.80) gets the nod for the Revs against Crabs RHP Daryl Thompson (5-3, 2.28). The night features Post-Game Fireworks presented by Auction Houses of Dover & Mt. Royal and Wings on Deck presented by Pizza Box. It is Bike Night presented by 1st Capital Harley-Davidson and Stambaugh Law. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Revs Ticket Office.
Story by Michael Marcantonini
Broadcaster/Media Relations Asst.
