York 9, Hagerstown 3
(June 18, 2024 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution used a big fifth inning to catapult themselves to a 9-3 series opening win against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on Tuesday night at WellSpan Park. The win kicks off a nine-game homestand for York (30-18) as they continue to push for a first-half title, maintaining their four-game lead for first place.
Ethan Lindow (4-4) spun six masterful innings while the offense put together another potent performance.
Back-to-back doubles in the first inning got things rolling for York as Donovan Casey and Colton Welker each drove in a run for a 2-0 lead. Jacob Rhinesmith singled up the middle to start the rally and scored all the way from first as Casey’s double clanged off the manual scoreboard and caromed back toward the infield. Welker’s double hit the base of the center field fence on the fly as the Revs enjoyed loud contact right from the start.
Matt McDermott delivered an RBI double of his own in the second inning on a drive off the right field wall, padding the lead to 3-0. Hagerstown starter Mike Kickham left the game with an apparent injury, and Rhinesmith greeted reliever Yoelvin Silven with an RBI single to right as the lead grew to 4-0.
After not allowing a hit through his first three innings, Lindow allowed a leadoff home run to left by Cito Culver in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 4-1.
After Silven tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief, he was replaced by a debuting Yohanse Morel. Rhinesmith again provided the greeting, this time with a double to right and Casey followed with a walk. Morel was able to retire the next two, but with two outs, the floodgates opened for York. Trey Martin drove in both runners with a single off the Arch Nemesis, extending the lead to 6-1. Alfredo Reyes slammed a two-run homer over the Nemesis and Kobe Kato followed with a towering shot down the right field line for back-to-back home runs. After a two-out five spot, York suddenly led 9-1.
Lindow was lifted after six innings of one run baseball, and Hagerstown got a run back in the top of the seventh inning with a Justin Williams double off reliever Alex Valverde, but Valverde settled in and retired the final six he faced including a pair of strikeouts.
After throwing just one pitch to end an inning in his return to the mound from the injured list on Sunday, Frankie Bartow allowed a two-out RBI single to Tyler Hill in the ninth but allowed no further damage, closing down a 9-3 series opening win.
Aaron Fletcher (4-2, 3.74) takes the ball in Wednesday’s matchup against Malik Binns (2-4, 7.26) at 6:30 p.m. The night includes Juneteenth Celebration, Bark in the Park, and Winning Wednesday presented by PA Lottery. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: York’s 30-18 record continues the best start to a season in franchise history. The Revs have won five of six overall, and seven of the last eight home games. Lindow has won three of his last four starts. The nine-game homestand begins a stretch on which York will play 15 of its next 18 at home. McDermott (2-for-5) leads the league with 63 hits, just ahead of Casey (2-for-3) who increased his total to 62 for the season while extending his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games. Kato (3-for-4) added a stolen base to his big day and is now 22-for-22 in stolen base attempts on the season, one shy of teammate Rudy Martin Jr’s franchise record for consecutive successful steals.
Gastonia 7, High Point 6 (10 innings)
Dean Miller’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th powered Gastonia to a 7-6 win Tuesday night in its first game against the High Point Rockers in 2024.
The last time Gastonia matched up with its in-state rival was Game 5 of the 2023 South Division Championship Series, where Gastonia won and punched its ticket to the ALPB Championship.
The first of nine games played over the next three weeks between the squads did not disappoint, continuing the trend of intense and closely competitive contests between the top two teams in the league.
Miller became the last Gastonia hitter to reach base with his 10th-inning walk-off single, as the other eight hitters accomplished that feat by the third inning on Tuesday.
The designated hitter lined an 0-2 pitch from right-hander Garrett Schilling down the right-field line, plating Jake Hoover to end the game.
“I was trying to hit a fly ball to right field and it got to two strikes,” Miller said. “[Schilling] was throwing some fastballs in and he did his job and threw the right pitches. With two strikes, I just wanted to put it in play and see what happens.”
Miller fouled off both inside fastballs Schilling threw him before getting the better of the reliever.
Gastonia manager Mauro “Goose” Gozzo was happy with what he saw in Miller’s fifth plate appearance of the evening.
“I loved his approach,” Gozzo said. “On the two foul balls, it looked like he was trying to go to the right side a little bit. With the infield in, using the middle to the right side of the field is what you’re supposed to do. Very, very proud of him.”
Miller’s heroics capped off a dramatic game in which Gastonia got out to a 5-1 lead before High Point scored five runs over the course of three frames.
Gastonia hit three home runs off High Point’s starter, Jonah Scolaro, who came into the game with a 2.23 ERA in six outings.
Jack Reinheimer (5), Marc Flores (3) and Justin Wylie (12) teed off on Scolaro – all of them solo shots.
With the Club leading the Rockers 5-1 in the fifth inning, following the three home runs, Ben Aklinski hit a two-out, two-run single against Ryan Conroy to make it a two-run game.
Aklinski later hit a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh off Nate Peden, who had an 0.87 ERA in 20.2 innings entering the game. The High Point center fielder snuck a ball just inside the foul pole down the left-field line, making it 6-6.
After Peden’s appearance, the Gastonia bullpen was nearly perfect.
Bryan Blanton pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, blowing 95 and 96 mile-per-hour heaters at the upper part of the strike zone past all three hitters during the at-bats. The right-hander struck out two and made easy work of the batters standing in his way.
Phoenix Sanders was next in line. The Gastonia closer came on to keep it 6-6 in the ninth, allowing one baserunner and doing the job.
Gabe Klobosits entered in the 10th, with a ghost runner starting at second. The runner was Aklinski, and he didn’t end up going anywhere.
After walking Colin Moran, Klobosits retired three straight Rockers, punching out Connor Owings to set up his offense beautifully in the bottom of the 10th.
Jake Hoover started the frame as a pinch runner on second, and he immediately advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Wylie.
Miller then got behind 0-2 before playing hero in Gaston County and giving his team a 7-6 victory.
Gastonia improved to 33-15 on the year, with High Point falling to 31-17.
There are 15 games remaining in the first half – eight of them feature the rivals playing each other in a battle for the first-half South Division champion.
The second of the eight games is on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Lancaster 5, So. Maryland 4
Stephen Nogosek retired the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in order in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday evening to preserve a 5-4 Lancaster win at Regency Furniture Stadium.
The right-hander retired Isaias Quiroz on a grounder flagged by second baseman Damon Dues up the middle, struck out Brandon Pugh and got Michael Wielansky on a fly ball to right, ending Lancaster’s four-game losing streak and keeping the club within four of division-leading York.
Lancaster’s middle of the order produced all of the offense. Joseph Carpenter and Chris Proctor rapped out consecutive singles to open the fourth inning. Gaige Howard doubled to the left field corner to score Carpenter, and Jordan Howard staked the Stormers to a 3-2 lead with a two-run single to right off Garrett Martin (4-3).
The same quartet would strike again two innings later. Carpenter and Proctor drew consecutive walks and advanced on a bad pickoff throw by Quiroz. Gaige Hoard drilled a single to left, scoring Carpenter, and Proctor rode home on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Howard.
Max Green (3-3) had a shaky start. Pugh drove his first pitch to left for a double. Wielansky singled into center to score a run, and Anthony Brocato singled down the left field line to put runners at first and third. Wielansky scored on a force out before Green settled in and tossed shutout baseball for the remainder of his 6 2/3 inning stint.
Brocato opened the eighth with a homer off James Hoyt to cut Lancaster’s lead to 5-3. Juan Kelly launched a long double to right. Two outs later, Anthony Ray singled Kelly home with a run, but Hoyt struck out Aaron Hill to end the inning.
Noah Bremer (4-2) will make the start on Wednesday evening against Blue Crabs legend Daryl Thompson (1-7). Fans may tune into the game at 7:00 on FloBaseball.
NOTES: Carpenter has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games…Ted Stuka got the final out in the seventh, pitching his eighth straight scoreless appearance…Gaige Howard had his first three-hit game…Jordan Howard has now had a pair of come-from-behind two-run hits since joining Lancaster…Green is 3-0 as a starter.
Staten Island 8, Long Island 6
(Central Islip, N.Y., June 18, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 8-6 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
Staten Island opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on Luis Castro’s sacrifice fly to center field. Long Island responded immediately in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at one on Frank Schwindel’s solo home run to left field off FerryHawks starter Cam Hill.
Nate Scantlin put the visitors back in front in the third with a two-run homer to right off Ducks starter Daniel Corcino. However, a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Tyler Dearden and an RBI single to left by Schwindel in the bottom of the frame tied the game at three. The FerryHawks countered with two more runs in the fourth on Kolby Johnson’s RBI double and Scantlin’s RBI single.
The Ducks took their first lead of the game at 6-5 with a three-run fifth. Chance Sisco’s RBI double, JC Encarnacion’s RBI single and a sac fly off the bat of Ivan Castillo highlighted the inning. It stayed that way until the eighth when Staten Island leapfrogged back in front on RBI singles by Johnson and Abiatal Avelino. Drew Maggi’s RBI single in the ninth rounded ou the scoring at 8-6.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Corcino lasted five innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and two walks with one strikeout. Hill pitched four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Brian McKenna (1-1) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, working around two walks while striking out two. Sam Delaplane (3-2) took the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in one inning. Robbie Baker picked up his seventh save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Schwindel led the Flock offensively with three hits, two RBIs, two runs and a walk.
The Ducks and FerryHawks continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Kimera Bartee Oversized Baseball Cards as part of the 2004 Championship 20th Anniversary Series. It’s also a Waddle In Wednesday at the ballpark, and fans who spend $100 or more at the Waddle In Shop during the game will receive a voucher good for $10 off a future purchase at the team store during the 2024 season (limit one voucher per person, per game). Left-hander Mike Montgomery (1-1, 4.45) takes the mound for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty Christian Capuano (5-1, 3.47).
Charleston 13, Lexington 5