York 7, Gastonia 2
(May 11, 2024 – York, Pa.): After a two hour and 36-minute rain delay began the night, the York Revolution jumped all over the Gastonia Baseball Club with a 7-2 win on Saturday night at WellSpan Park to even the series at a game apiece on yet another cold and wet night in York. David Washington homered twice, Trey Martin went yard in a big first inning, and Chris Vallimont whiffed 11 Gastonia hitters, headlining a franchise record 18-strikeout performance as a team.
After managing just one run on Friday night, York wasted no time to break into the scoring column on Saturday and did so in a big way. After Matt McDermott and Kobe Kato led off the game with walks and moved up on a double steal, Donovan Casey ripped a two-run single back up the middle to open the scoring. Martin continued the barrage, driving his first home run of the season out to left-center field for a two-run blast. Jamari Baylor capped off the rally by reaching on an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 5-0.
Washington owned the offensive spotlight from there, unloading a tape measure shot in the third inning, a solo blast to left center field that carried over the carousel and off of the back advertisement wall. He added another over the Arch Nemesis in the fifth inning to make the lead 7-0.
On the mound, Vallimont was dominant for the Revs in his second start at WellSpan Park. After not allowing a hit in five innings in his opening start, Vallimont finally allowed his first hit in the third and his first runs in the sixth. Vallimont (1-1) finished his day with 11 strikeouts, which included stretches of four and five consecutive strikeouts. The only blemish to his outing was a two-run home run by Josh Stowers in the sixth after carrying a one-hitter through five.
Denny Bentley and Will Carter tossed scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Bentley struck out the side while Carter fanned a pair.
Gastonia put two runners on against Moises Lugo in the ninth inning, but Lugo responded by striking out back-to-back hitters to end the game.
Zach Neff takes the ball in the rubber match on Sunday at 2 p.m. and will be opposed by Ljay Newsome for Gastonia. It is Sunday Funday presented by Weis Markets, Boomer’s Book Club Bookmark Redemption Day#2 presented by Northern Central Railway, and Mother’s Day Bats & Bubbles. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: The Revs’ 9-5 record is their best through 14 games in franchise history. Vallimont’s 11 strikeouts were one shy of a career high which he set on May 4, 2019 with the Low-A Clinton LumberKings. He became the first Revs starter to strike out five in a row since Nick Raquet punched out five consecutive Long Island Ducks on August 30th, 2023. His 11 strikeouts were the most by a Revs starter since Jorge Martinez fanned 11 Lexington Legends on May 20, 2022; it was the 35th double-digit strikeout performance by a pitcher in Revs history. David Washington’s two-home run game was the third multi-HR game for a Revolution hitter this season (Kobe Kato 4/30 at Gastonia, Ciaran Devenney 5/3 at High Point). The 18 strikeouts by Revolution pitchers are the most in a nine-inning game in franchise history. This comes a night after nearly tying the previous record with 15 strikeouts in Friday’s opener; the previous record of 16 strikeouts had stood since 5/27/07. With the win, York has still not lost back-to-back games this season. The rain delay of 2:36 was the third longest in franchise history and second longest in WellSpan Park history. The five-run first inning is the Revs’ biggest first inning since scoring five in the first on 7/13/23 vs Spire City.
Long Island 6, Hagerstown 5
(Central Islip, N.Y., May 10, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 6-5 on Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
Chance Sisco put the Ducks in front 1-0 in the second inning with a solo home run to right field off Flying Boxcars starter Nick Trabacchi. Long Island extended the lead to three in the fourth on bases loaded walks by Taylor Kohlwey and Frank Schwindel.
Hagerstown erupted for five runs in the fifth off Ducks starter Charlie Neuweiler to take a 5-3 lead. Demetrius Moorer’s RBI single, Eury Perez’s two-run single and Christian Sepulveda’s two-run double did the damage. Long Island closed to within a run in the sixth on Jackie Bradley Jr.’s RBI double down the right field line.
Aaron Antonini doubled, moved to third on an error and scored on Manuel Geraldo’s RBI single to right, tying the game at five. A wild pitch that plated Kohlwey in the eighth gave the Flock a 6-5 lead.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Neuweiler pitched four and one-third innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out five. Trabacchi lasted three and one-third innings, conceding four this and five walks with two strikeouts. Sam Delaplane (2-1) earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, striking out the side. Enrique Santana (0-1) took the loss, yielding the winning run on a hit and a walk in one inning. Matt Seelinger collected his first save with a scoreless ninth, working around a hit and a walk while striking out two.
Geraldo led the Flock with two hits, an RBI, two runs and two walks. Bradley Jr. added two hits and an RBI, while Antonini chipped in with a pair of hits and two runs.
The Ducks and Flying Boxcars wrap up their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. Game time is slated for 1:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 12:35 (12:20 for full season ticket holders). Spend Mother’s Day at the ballpark with a Sunday Family Funday, presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Prior to the game, fans are invited to have a catch on the field from 12:40 to 1:00. Following the game, fans are welcome back down to the field to take part in Kids Run the Bases. Left-hander Mike Montgomery (0-0, 0.00) toes the rubber for the Ducks against Flying Boxcars righty Parker Markel (1-1, 1.15).
High Point 6, Southern Maryland 3
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ben Aklinski hit a bases loaded double in the fifth inning to break up a tied game as the High Point Rockers went on to post a 6-3 win over Southern Maryland on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,012 at Truist Point.
The Rockers had tied the game at 1-1 earlier in the inning when Zander Wiel led off with a solo homer, his fourth of the year, to pull the Rockers even.
The Blue Crabs jumped on top in the second inning off High Point starter Brandon Leibrandt (W, 2-0). The lefty allowed a single to Juan Kelly in the second before a routine bloop single to right turned into a two-base error, allowing Kelly to score from first with an unearned run.
After Wiel tied the game in the fifth, the Rockers’ Brian Parreira was hit by a pitch, Ryan Grotjohn singled and Martin Figueroa drew a walk to load the bases. Aklinski’s double was a hot grounder that hugged the left field line all the way into the corner. High Point led 4-1 after five.
Colin Moran’s solo homer in the sixth put the Rocker up 5-1. It was his first homer in High Point after joining the team earlier in the week.
The Blue Crabs touch reliever Ryan Meisinger for a pair of runs in the eighth to make it a 5-3 game. Michael Wielansky drew a lead-off walk and Anthony Brocato homered, his third homer this week against High Point. But the Rockers got that run back in the ninth when newly-signed Gregory White, a graduate of North Carolina A&T and Wesleyan Christian Academy, beat out an infield single then scored on a double by Moran.
Jameson McGrane set the Blue Crabs down in order in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.
Leibrandt (W, 2-0) went 5.1 innings and allowed just three hits while striking out eight. Zach Muckenhirn and Jacob Edwards each threw a scoreless two-thirds of an inning before turning it over to McGrane.
“It was another great start by Leibrandt,” said Rockers’ manager Jamie Keefe. “He threw the ball exceptionally well again. Offensively, Benny’s double was huge in a spot where we really needed it. And then it was really nice to see Colin starting to click. He’s a big bat for us and if he can put it together consistently, that just adds another layer to our line-up.
Southern Maryland starter Daryl Thompson (0-3), the winningest pitcher in Atlantic League history with 97 wins, allowed six hits and all five runs in his six innings while striking out seven.
The series finale is set for a 4:05 p.m. start Sunday at Truist Point. As a Mother’s Day special, all moms will be allowed free admission.
Lancaster 8, Staten Island 2
With Lancaster short on arms, Noah Bremer stepped up in a big way on Saturday afternoon.
The right-hander threw five no-hit innings at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park, leading the Stormers to an 8-2 win over the host FerryHawks in the matinee game.
Bremer (1-0) was no stranger to the starting role, having made 51 starts in the Texas Rangers system. In his first chance for the Stormers in that capacity, the one-time Washington Huskie was a revelation. He threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. Bremer worked around two-out walks to Taylor Motter and Pable Sandoval in the first inning. After walking Kolby Johnson to open the third, he retired the remaining nine batters he faced. His first six outs came on strikes, and Bremer would go on to fan eight by the end of his performance.
The Stormers jumped on Staten Island starter Mark Faello (0-1) for four quick runs. Nick Lucky doubled down the left field line and, one out later, scored on Cristian Santana’s slicing single into right. Gaige Howard singled Santana to third, and Chris Proctor grounded a base hit into right for the second run. The runners executed a double steal, and Howard scored when David Martinez’ throw skipped down the left field line. Joseph Carpenter lined a single to left to plate Proctor.
Lancaster’s remaining offense was largely thanks to Proctor. The lefty batting catcher slugged a two-run homer to right center in the third and a solo shot to right leading off the ninth to cap a four-RBI afternoon.
Taylor Motter snapped the Stormers’ bid for a shutout with a one-out solo homer to left in the sixth. Lancaster had to survive scares in the final three innings. In the seventh, Wilkerman Garcia was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw from Howard in right field on a single by Nate Scantlin. Jackson Rees escaped a bases loaded jam on a 1-2-3 double play in the eighth. James Hoyt allowed a two-out single by Johnson followed by three straight walks in the ninth before Carpenter snapped up Joe Dunand’s grounder down the first base line for the final out.
Lancaster and Staten Island meet for the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday at 1:30. Augie Sylk will make the start for the Stormers against right-hander Matt Reitz. Both starters have previously pitched for the opposition. Fans may tune into FloBaseball at 1:25.
NOTES: Bremer was filling in for the injured Brad Markey…Isan Diaz extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double in the sixth but left with an injury after his slide into second…Every Lancaster starter had at least one hit in the game…Proctor’s steal was his eighth; Howard has six…Howard drew three more walks and now has 18 on the year.