High Point Rockers 6, Gastonia Ghost Peppers 5 (10 innings)
HIGH POINT, N.C.- Ben Aklinski hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to cap a five-run rally and give the High Point Rockers a 6-5 win over the Gastonia Ghost Peppers Saturday night at Truist Point.
Tied 1-1 after nine innings, Gastonia rallied for four runs in the top of the 10th off Justin Lewis (W, 2-1) on a two-run triple by Ethan Skender, an RBI single by Johnny Barditch and an RBI double from Cole Roederer.
But the Rockers weren’t finished. With Aidan Brewer starting the inning as the ghost runner at second, Luis Gonzalez and Max Viera drew consecutive walks off Gastonia reliever Kent Hasler (L, 1-3). A single by Drew Mendoza plated Brewer to make it a 5-2 game. Alex Dickerson then grounded to second and following the force at second, the throw to first was wild, allowing both Gonzalez and Viera to score, pulling the Rockers within one at 5-4. Aklinski then battled through an 11-pitch at-bat and hit full count pitch over the wall in left field to score Dickerson ahead of him and give the Rockers a 6-5 win.
“All we’re trying to do is get the tying run to the plate and that’s what we did tonight,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe. “That was one of the best at-bats I’ve seen from Ben. The guys never gave up and just kept grinding it out.”
The win puts the Rockers 43-25 overall and 2-3 in the second half. Gastonia falls to 30-38 and 2-3.
A pitcher’s duel between Rockers starter Mike Devine and Gastonia’s Ljay Newsome kept the game 1-1 through six innings. Devine, pitching professionally for the first time since 2022, went six innings and held the Peppers to one run while striking out four. Newsome allowed just two hits over five innings.
The Rockers are slated to play the final game of the three-game series against Gastonia on Sunday at 4:05 pm. The Rockers will also be celebrating their rescue dog Ruby’s birthday, and all four-legged furry friends are invited to join her at Truist Point. SPCA of the Triad will be at the ballpark collecting donations in honor of Ruby’s big day.
NOTES: The Rockers signed starter pitcher Mike Devine prior to Saturday’s game. He is slated to start the next three Saturday games. A VMI grad, Devine pitched for Southern Maryland in the Atlantic League in 2021 and last pitched for Veracruz in the Mexican League in 2022 . . . Aklinski’s walk-off homer was the second of the season for the Rockers and the fifth walk-off hit of his Rockers career, the most of any Rocker in club history.
York Revolution 7, Staten Island FerryHawks 4
(July 12, 2025 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution put it all together on Saturday night with a strong effort on the mound, solid defense, and a clutch showing at the plate in a 7-4 victory over the Staten Island FerryHawks at WellSpan Park.
York had to answer as the game began with a familiar refrain with the opponent scoring first for the fifth consecutive contest.
Revs starter Foster Pace looked sharp early with a pair of strikeouts in the first inning, despite allowing a two-out RBI single to Tyler Dearden for the game’s first run. Pace bounced back from that run to retire eight consecutive batters into the fourth, while his offense got things going.
York rallied in the third as Bubba Alleyne walked and stole second, and Ryan Higgins was hit by a pitch to set the table. Jalen Miller’s fly out advanced Alleyne to third, and Jeremy Arocho tied the game with an RBI single chopped hard into right. With two outs, Marty Costes ripped a two-run single through the left side of the infield as the Revs jumped ahead, 3-1.
Staten Island volleyed back, piecing together its own three-run inning with four consecutive hits in the fourth. Brandon Martorano (single), Drew Maggi (double), and Nick Decker (sac fly) drove in runs as the Revs fell behind, 4-3.
The Revs caught a break in the bottom of the fourth when Miller’s grounder to third went through the legs of Pablo Sandoval, as the two-out error allowed the tying run to score in William Simoneit who had led off the inning with a single.
Pace finished strong with scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth.
Kolby Johnson led off the fifth with an infield single and stole second base with one out, but was immediately picked off by Pace who managed to retire the side in order.
Staten Island had a major threat with runners at first and third with no outs in the sixth, but Pace (7-2) retired Martorano on a soft liner to second, and on the biggest pitch of the night, retired Maggi on a 6-4-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed.
The Revs turned the game around as Simoneit led off the bottom of the sixth, crushing a go-ahead homer to left as he tied the team lead with his 11th of the year, powering York ahead with a 5-4 lead.
Frankie Tostado added insurance with an opposite field homer over the Arch Nemesis in left in the bottom of the seventh, increasing the lead to 6-4.
Simoneit (3-for-4) led off the eighth with a deep double to left center and scored on a passed ball for the final tally.
The Revs bullpen was dominant as Hunter Dula handled a 1-2-3 seventh, Mauricio Llovera struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth, and Cam Robinson notched his league-leading 13th save, striking out two in a scoreless ninth.
Notes: Pace moves into a tie for second in the league with seven victories, bouncing back after the Revs had dropped his previous two starts. His pickoff of Johnson in the fifth inning was his team-high third pickoff of the season. Robinson worked his 10th straight scoreless outing and 17th in-a-row without an earned run; he has allowed just one earned run in 27.1 innings on the season, lowering his ERA to 0.32. Robinson did not allow a hit, as he has yielded just three hits over his last 12 outings (14.0 innings). Tostado (2-for-4) became the league’s first to 90 hits on the season (91) while the homer was his league-leading 45th extra-base hit. Tostado is now on an eight-game hitting streak and stole his second base of the season, both in the past three games. Alleyne stole two bags, making him the Revs’ second to 20 steals on the year. Simoneit ties Miller and Jaylin Davis for the team lead with 11 homers. York improves to 42-26 overall, 3-2 in the second half. After drawing 3,444 on Saturday night, the Revs are 3,573 fans shy of becoming the fifth team in Atlantic League history to surpass the 4,000,000 mark in attendance.
Up Next: York hosts Staten Island in the rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m. with RHP J.C. Ramirez (0-2, 8.26) facing Hawks lefty Ryan Williamson (0-3, 6.26). Promos include Kids Eat Free Sunday by D.F. Stauffer’s Biscuit Co., South of the Border Day, Superhero Character Appearance presented by York County Veterans Outreach, Sunday Funday presented by Weis Markets, and a D.F. Stauffer’s Exit Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Lancaster Stormers 3, Long /Island Ducks 1
The Lancaster Stormers grabbed their third consecutive win on Saturday evening, and it is the pitching staff leading the way.
Michael McAvene and a trio of relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Stormers defeated the Long Island Ducks, 3-1, at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
Lancaster’s pitching has dominated the series, not just in limiting the Ducks to nine hits over the two games, but in not allowing one base on balls.
Long Island delivered the first blow of the night as All-Star River Town launched a homer to right off McAvene in the third inning. The starter was lifted for Phil Diehl with one out in the sixth inning and a string of left-handed batters due.
Diehl picked up two critical outs before yielding the hill to Scott Engler (5-1). The right-hander fired two perfect innings on 14 pitches to earn the win. Cody Stashak survived a leadoff double by Town in the ninth, striking out the side afterward for his third save.
Jonah Dipoto, making his first Atlantic League start, scattered five singles over the first four innings to maintain the 1-0 edge. He retired the first two batters in the fifth before walking Nick Ward. Ward stole second, opening up the first base line for Nick Lucky. Lucky found the opening, drilling an RBI triple past Seth Beer to tie the game,1-1. Ariel Sandoval walked, but the Ducks snuffed out a double steal attempt, cutting down Lucky at the plate to preserve the tie.
After Engler got the side on three quick fly balls to center in the bottom of the seventh, Joe Campagna walked to open the eighth. Alex Isola smashed a double inside the bag at third to send Campagna to second. Daniel Amaral picked up both runners with a single to left center.
The Stormers will look for a sweep on Sunday afternoon. Noah Bremer (4-1) will make the start against Tim Melville (3-0). Fans may follow the action on FloBaseball, starting at 5:00.
NOTES: Lucky’s triple was his sixth…No one has had more in a season for the Stormers since Gilberto Mejia banged out 10 in 2011…Lucky has 14 extra base hits and 19 RBI in his last 15 games…The Stormers played their second straight game without league home run leader Mason Martin…The club has gone 20.1 innings without allowing a walk…Meanwhile, the Stormers have drawn 15 in the series…The win was Ross Peeples’ 498th as a manager.
Charleston Dirty Birds 3, Hagerstown Flying Boxcars 1
James Nelson hit his 20th home run of the season. With his 26 stolen bases, Nelson is the first player this season to join the 20-20 Club. This “club” is reserved for players who have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. Charleston Dirty Birds continued their dominant stretch with a 3–1 win over the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on Saturday night, backed by another standout performance from Luis de Avila.
Game Highlights:
- James Nelson blasted a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning, his 20th of the year, putting Charleston up early. He also walked and stole a base.
- Zach Daniels drove in Charleston’s third run with a double in the 6th.
- Charleston’s bullpen struck out 8 of the last 9 batters to slam the door.
Pitching Recap:
- Luis de Avila (W, 2-0): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K — sharp and efficient again.
- Bullpen (Reyes, Van Gurp, Moscatiello): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB
- Frank Moscatiello (S, 3) struck out the side in the 9th for the save.
Team Stats:
- Hits: Charleston 7, Hagerstown 4
- Strikeouts: Hagerstown 14, Charleston 2
- Charleston Extra-Base Hits: Nelson HR, Daniels 2B, Sedio 2B, Barnum 2B, Womack 2B
- Defensive Cleanliness: No errors committed by either side
Notables:
- Nelson’s 20 HR / 26 SB puts him squarely in 20–20 territory
- Charleston pitchers now have 22 strikeouts in the first two games of the series
- Attendance: 3,117 on a warm, partly cloudy night at GoMart Ballpark
Charleston will go for the sweep tomorrow, with momentum and a hot lineup behind them.
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 7, Lexington Legends 5