York 7, Staten Island 4
(June 15, 2024 – Staten Island, NY): Zach Neff spun six scoreless innings as the York Revolution won their fourth straight, 7-4 over the Staten Island FerryHawks on Saturday night at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park. The first place Revs (29-17) increase their lead in the North Division to four games with 17 to play in the first half and will go for a sweep on Sunday.
In support of Neff, York’s offense battered 12 hits including three home runs while stealing a whopping seven bases. It was also a milestone win as it marked Rick Forney’s 100th victory as Revs manager.
The Revs went to work in the top of the second, scoring three times off Hawks starter Aaron Leasher (4-2) who entered with the league’s second-lowest ERA, having allowed just two runs combined over his previous three starts and none in his previous two outings.
Jacob Rhinesmith got the ball rolling with a single and moved to second on a balk. Alfredo Reyes smacked an RBI single to left, bringing home Rhinesmith with the game’s first run. Reyes scored when center fielder Ben Norman dropped a fly ball, and after another error, Colton Welker lashed an RBI double down the left field line, spotting the Revs a 3-0 lead.
Donovan Casey singled and stole second to lead off the third, scoring on a bloop hit to left by Rhinesmith (3-for-4) when left fielder Alejandro De Aza fumbled the ball for the FerryHawks’ third error of the night.
Neff (3-3) was sensational, allowing just five hits (four singles) over a career-high six shutout innings in his first scoreless outing.
York added on with a trio of solo homers, all to the same area in right center. Welker drove an opposite field bomb in the fourth. Trey Martin did the same to lead off the seventh. David Washington capped an eight-pitch at-bat and the Revs’ scoring for the night with a skyscraping blast in the eighth for his league-leading 17th of the year and fourth in three nights.
Nelvin Correa tossed scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, having now worked scoreless ball in six of his seven appearances this season including five straight.
Denny Bentley quickly recorded the first two outs in the ninth, but Staten Island rallied with three consecutive singles to produce a run, while a pair of walks force in another run, and a two-run single up the middle by De Aza suddenly cut the lead to 7-4 with the tying run at the plate. Bentley ultimately coaxed Norman into a game-ending fly out to center, securing the victory for the Revs.
Notes: York’s seven steals comes two nights after the Revs registered eight steals which was one shy of a team record. The Revs improve to 18-8 on the road. Their 29-17 overall mark continues the best start to a season in franchise history. Their four-game division lead is their largest since 2019. Forney moves closer to another milestone as Saturday’s win was the 987th of his managerial career, now just 13 shy of 1,000.
Up Next: York RHP Michael Horrell (2-1, 3.81) faces Staten Island spot starter Nate Griep (0-0, 5.62) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and FloBaseball.TV beginning at 1:10 p.m.
Hagerstown 2, Long Island 1
In a tightly contested matchup, the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars squeezed past the Long Island Ducks, 2-1, in a game dominated by pitching and defensive plays.
The game started as a duel between Wei-Yin Chen of Long Island and Alex Katz of Hagerstown, with neither team managing to break through early. Katz set the tone early, striking out five Ducks in his three innings of work, keeping Long Island hitters off balance, and allowing just one hit through three.
Hagerstown threatened in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases against Chen. An RBI single by Curtis Terry put the Flying Boxcars ahead 1-0, prompting a pitching change by Long Island manager Lew Ford. However, the relief pitcher quickly shut down the threat, striking out a batter to end the inning.
Long Island fought back in the top of the sixth, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch and a walk to set up a crucial at-bat for Chance Sisco. Sisco delivered with an RBI groundout, knotting the score at 1-1.
But Hagerstown responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on the corners, Andres Noriega punched a clutch RBI single to regain the lead for Hagerstown, 2-1.
The Ducks couldn’t muster a comeback against Hagerstown’s bullpen, which stifled their offense over the final three innings. Nick Gardewine, Edubray Ramos, and Rodolfo Sanchez combined to allow no hits and struck out three, preserving the narrow lead for the Flying Boxcars.
Hagerstown improved to 3-3 in their last six games. The rubber match of the series promises another exciting showdown between these two squads.
High Point 3, Lancaster 1
LANCASTER, Pa. – The High Point Rockers pitching staff continued to prove itself to be the Atlantic League’s dominant force at the moment.
Cam Bedrosian fired six shutout innings as the Rockers handed the previously streaking Lancaster Stormers their third straight loss, 3-1, Saturday evening at Clipper Magazine Stadium. It was the seventh straight win for the Rockers.
With the loss, the Stormers now trail the York Revolution by four games in the North race with 18 left to play. The two teams face each other head-to-head six times down the stretch. All games will be in York.
Bedrosian (2-0) yielded four hits over his six innings, all in the first three frames. Double plays helped him in the first and second. In the third, Kyle Kasser singled to left, and Trace Loehr picked up a one-out walk. The former Angels and Phillies right-hander got the final two outs on fly balls and never surrendered another baserunner in working the first six innings of the night.
High Point took a 1-0 lead off Carsie Walker (2-3) in the top of the first inning. Martin Figueroa reached on an infield single and was forced at second by Ben Aklinski for the second out. Colin Moran lined a single into right field, advancing Aklinski. Ryan Grotjohn drove a single into center to score Aklinski with the run.
Brian Parreira slugged his fourth homer of the season with Zander Wiel aboard in the fourth for the other two High Point runs.
After being shut out for the first 15 innings of the series, the Stormers finally broke through against Zach Muckenhirn in the seventh. Gaige Howard cracked a double into the left field corner and scored on ground outs by newcomer Damon Dues and Jack Conley. Howard’s double represented Lancaster’s only baserunner in the final 6 2/3 innings.
Jack Labosky (3-1) will take the hill for the Stormers on Sunday afternoon against former big league right-hander Taylor Guerrieri (2-2). The game will be broadcast live on FloBaseball and Blue Ridge Cable 11, beginning at 3:00.
LAN NOTES: Joseph Carpenter reached Bedrosian for a double in the first inning, his 15th of the season…That ties him with Long Island’s Tyler Dearden for the league lead…Ted Stuka extended his scoreless streak to seven appearances and eight innings…He has yielded only two hits in that time while striking out 15…James Hoyt has thrown 9 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
HP NOTES: High Point’s pitching staff shutout Lancaster for the first 15 and 1/3 innings of the series before the Stormers tallied a run in the seventh inning Saturday . . .Ryan Grotjohn has hit in 11 straight games is hitting .487 (19 of 39) during the streak . . . High Point’s starting pitchers have allowed just one run over the last three starts, a span of 18 innings . . . In Lancaster, Neil Ramirez (Friday) and Cam Bedrosian (Saturday) have allowed five hits over 12 innings and no runs in their 12 innings . . . High Point’s seven-game winning streak is its longest since winning eight straight from May 2-9, 2023.
Southern Maryland 3, Charleston 1
Gastonia 5, Lexington 4