(May 7, 2019 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution blasted four home runs but dropped their series opener to the Somerset Patriots, 7-6 in 10 innings on Monday evening at PeoplesBank Park.
For the first time in five games, the opponent drew first blood as Somerset grabbed a 1-0 lead on a D’Arby Myers sac fly in the top of the second.
Telvin Nash provided a titanic answer, crushing a home run high off the back ad wall on the far perimeter of PeoplesBank Park, far beyond the left-center playground, tying the game at 1-1.
Will Kengor put Somerset back on top on a two-out RBI single to right in the top of the second, but J.P. Sportman made a nifty lunging grab on Michael Ohlman’s line drive in shallow center to strand two runners.
The Revs once again answered right away as Ryan Dent drilled a home run to left-center, and Henry Castillo followed with a towering shot to nearly the same spot for the Revs’ first back-to-back home runs of the season and a 3-2 lead in the third.
Somerset put runners at second and third with no outs in the fourth, but Castillo flashed a fantastic pick to his left on Justin Pacchioli’s ground ball, spun and fired home for the lead out, helping York starter Ross Detwiler eventually escape the inning unscathed.
The Patriots drew even an inning later on another Kengor RBI single in the fifth, squaring things at 3-3.
Steve Nyisztor pushed Somerset ahead on a squeeze bunt in the top of the sixth and Craig Massey drove an RBI double off the left-center fence to make it 5-3.
York landed the next punch in the back-and-forth battle as Castillo launched a towering, game-tying two-run homer to right in the bottom of the seventh off former teammate James Pugliese. It was the first multi-homer game of Castillo’s Revs career as the switch-hitter provided one bomb from each side of the plate becoming the second Revs hitter to accomplish that feat in the same game (Brian Burgamy, May 25, 2013 at Camden).
Right fielder Welington Dotel preserved the tie in the top of the eighth, squeezing a line out from Nyisztor and gunning home to nail Myers at the plate for an inning-ending double play. It came one inning after left fielder Melky Mesa did likewise, hauling in a fly ball from Yovan Gonzalez and heaving a strike to the plate to throw out Kengor.
Somerset broke the tie in the top of the tenth as Kengor (4-for-5) led off with a base hit to right and Ramon Flores came home to score as Dotel’s throw to third bounced away. Ohlman followed with an RBI double to right-center to make it 7-5. Casilla kept the Revs within striking distance, starting a slick 4-6-3 double play with a diving flip to Dent on Nyisztor’s grounder up the middle to end the inning.
Isaias Tejeda kept the Revs’ hopes alive with a deep RBI double to left-center with two outs in the bottom of the tenth, but Mike Antonini struck out the other three batters he faced to log his fourth save.
The Revs fall to 1-1 in extra innings while the Patriots, who have now won five straight overall, improve to 3-0 in extra-inning games having won each of their last three in extras on the road.
Notes: Nash’s home run was his second of the season and 55th of his Revs career, approaching Chris Nowak (59) for second in Revs history and inching closer to the franchise record of 66 held by Andres Perez. It was the 36th home run of his career at PeoplesBank Park, two shy of Perez’ stadium record. Castillo’s two-homer game is the second of his career as he also turned the trick for High-A Visalia as a Diamondbacks prospect on July 4, 2016 at Lancaster. He now has 10 hits on the season, a league-leading eight of which have gone for extra bases. Castillo also has back-to-back three-RBI games and now leads the team with seven RBI on the season. York righty Mitch Atkins makes his season debut on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. opposite Patriots lefty Thomas Dorminy (0-1, 4.50). It is a WellSpan Sports Medicine Silver Slugger Tuesday. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Revs Ticket Office.
