Lexington 9, York 1
(August 21, 2024 – Lexington, Ky.): The York Revolution saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night, falling to the Lexington Legends 9-1 at Legends Field. Michael Berglund’s ninth inning home run provided the only run for the Revs who avoided the shutout, but a pair of big innings for the Legends proved to be the difference.
The game was tight with Lexington leading 1-0 all the way into the sixth inning.
Revs starter Michael Horrell was excellent through the first five innings. He breezed through the first with a pair of three-pitch strikeouts and a one-pitch pop up as he threw his first 14 pitches of the night for strikes.
Pedro Gonzalez opened the scoring with one out in the second with a solo homer to left, his 22nd of the year. Jacob Barfield followed with a single, but Horrell induced a double play to start a string of 10 consecutive batters retired, as he set down 14 of his 16 total batters faced through the fifth inning.
Lexington loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth before Horrell battled to strike out JT Riddle and Kole Cottam. On the cusp of escaping the big jam, Horrell saw Brady Whalen reach outside the strike zone and poke a deflating two-out, two-run single to left, and Gonzalez added a crushing two-run double to left field as the deficit suddenly swelled to 5-0.
The Legends made it back-to-back four-run innings, effectively putting the game out of reach in the seventh. Roberto Gonzalez tripled to right center to plate a run, Nilo Rijo added a sac fly, and Cottam blasted a two-run homer to left center off reliever Cody Scroggins to make it 9-0.
Legends starter Wesley Scott (1-1) was on point, tossing six scoreless innings on just two hits allowed. He walked one and struck out nine.
York threatened in the second when Jacob Rhinesmith (12-game hitting streak) singled to center, and after the next two hitters made loud outs, Jordy Barley doubled down the third base line to put two in scoring position. Scott responded by inducing an inning-ending ground out and worked around leadoff hit by pitches in each of the next two innings, eventually retiring his final nine hitters of the night, five of which came on strikeouts.
The Revs finally notched their third hit of the game with two outs in the seventh when Kevin Higgins doubled to right center, but it bounced over the wall for a ground rule double preventing a run from scoring.
Berglund broke up the shutout with one out in the ninth, slugging a home run onto the patio in right for his fourth of the year. York loaded the bases on two-out singles from Higgins, Matt McDermott (nine-game hitting streak) and Alfredo Reyes, but could pull no closer.
The Revs fall to 68-34, one game off the league’s best overall pace, and 25-14 in the second half slipping to half a game back of first place.
York RHP Tom Sutera faces Lexington’s Harold Cortijo in Thursday’s rubber match at 6:45 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 6:25 p.m.
Lancaster 6, Hagerstown 5
Nine-three-five.
Those three digits returned the Lancaster Stormers to first place in the North Division following a narrow escape with a 6-5 win over the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars Wednesday evening at Meritus Park.
That was the combination to retire Demetrius Moorer with the tying run at third base in the bottom of the ninth, arguably keeping the Stormers from extra innings or a walkoff loss in the ninth.
The win, combined with York’s 9-1 loss at Lexington, moved Lancaster one-half game ahead of the Revs in the North race. Long Island also lost and trails by three.
On the strength of a three-run rally in the top of the eighth, the Stormers carried a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning with Scott Engler trying to wrap up the game. Engler retired Ozzie Abreu on a grounder to short, but Tyler Hill, just re-signed by the Flying Boxcars on Wednesday, belted a long double off the wall in right center. Moorer took a 1-2 pitch into the right field corner, scoring Hill. Gaige Howard fished the ball out of the corner, made a perfect throw to first baseman Mason Martin, whose throw to Trace Loehr cut down Moorer at third. Andrew Moritz flied to center to end the night.
Lancaster’s rally in the eighth came against Yoelvin Silven (0-1), who was at the epicenter of the brawl between the two clubs at Clipper Magazine Stadium last Thursday. With one out, Trace Loehr grounded a single through the right side. He raced home on Damon Dues’ triple to deep right center. Howard staked Lancaster to a 5-4 lead with a single up the middle. Isan Diaz followed with a double to right center to provide the necessary insurance run.
The Stormers took an early 3-0 lead off starter Domenic Picone. Diaz produced the first run with a sacrifice fly in the opening inning. Chad Sedio knocked home the next two with a two-run single off the right field wall in the top of the third.
Max Green retired nine straight until Cito Culver reached him for a one-out solo homer in the fourth. Welington Dotel also left the yard to follow, cutting the Lancaster lead to 3-2. Hill doubled inside the bag at third with one out in the fourth and raced home on a two-out single to right by Moritz. Moritz went to second on an error and scored on Cito Culver’s base hit to right. Culver was later thrown out at the plate on a pitch that eluded Chris Proctor for the final out in the fifth.
Steffon Moore (1-1, 2-3) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win.
Matt Swarmer (3-2) will make the start for the Stormers on Thursday evening against right-hander Marvin Gorgas (3-7). Fans may tune into FloBaseball, beginning at 6:25.
NOTES: Diaz was 2-for-3, extending his hitting streak to 10 games…Howard had his 35th multi-hit game of the season…Green failed to win his 10th of the season on his fourth attempt to do so…Lancaster amassed 14 hits…The Stormers have not gone down 1-2-3 in any inning in the series.
Gastonia 2, High Point 1 (11 innings)
HIGH POINT, N.C. (August 21, 2024) – In a game dominated by pitching and defense, the High Point Rockers fell 2-1 to the Gastonia Baseball Club in an 11-inning thriller at Truist Point on Wednesday night. Gastonia’s Jake Gatewood singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th and the Rockers were unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning.
Rockers’ starter Jonah Scolaro set the tone early, striking out two in the first inning and working around a hit-by-pitch to retire Gastonia without a run. High Point’s bats struggled to find heat though, and Gastonia’s Jake Miednik retired the side in order in both the first and second innings.
The bottom of the second saw Rockers manager Jamie Keefe ejected after a heated exchange with home plate umpire, adding to the tension of an already tight game. However, High Point’s lineup continued to be stumped by Miednik, going down in order for the second straight inning.
Scolaro and the Rockers’ defense remained sharp in the top of the third, sending Gastonia down 1-2-3 once more. In the bottom half, High Point appeared ready to break through after DJ Burt singled to center and stole second. A fielding error allowed Martin Figueroa to reach first and move Burt to third, but a fly out to center ended the Rockers’ threat, leaving the game scoreless.
The defensive stalemate continued into the fourth, as High Point turned a crucial double play to erase back-to-back walks by Scolaro. The Rockers couldn’t capitalize on their momentum, however, as Gastonia’s pitching retired the side once again in the bottom half.
Scolaro was dominant in the fifth, striking out Gatewood and forcing two flyouts to maintain the scoreless tie. The Rockers remained frustrated at the plate, going down 1-2-3 for the fourth time.
In the top of the sixth, Gastonia threatened after a walk and a single, but Scolaro responded by fanning two batters, keeping the game scoreless. However, High Point couldn’t find their offensive spark and the inning ended quietly.
Jacob Edwards relieved Scolaro in the seventh, following Scolaro’s impressive six innings with eight strikeouts, allowing only one hit and three walks. Edwards quickly found himself in a jam with the bases loaded, but the Rockers’ defense delivered a make or break double play to escape unscathed.
High Point’s offense showed some life in the bottom of the seventh with Nieporte’s single, but it wasn’t enough to break the scoreless tie. Quiet bats continued through the eighth inning, with Austin Warner on the mound for the Rockers. Warner walked Watson Jr., who advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch, but Gastonia failed to get any gain.
The game entered extra innings after neither team could score in the ninth. Gastonia struck first in the top of the 10th when Watson Jr. hit an RBI double to score Martorano, giving Gastonia a 1-0 lead. However, the Rockers responded in the bottom half when Evan Edwards’ sac fly brought Connor Owings home to tie the game 1-1.
Gastonia reclaimed the lead in the top of the 11th with a double by Gatewood that drove in Marc Flores, making it 2-1. The Rockers had one last chance in the bottom of the inning, but Aklinski flew out, sealing the 2-1 victory for Gastonia.
Despite the loss, the Rockers’ pitching was a bright spot, with Scolaro and the bullpen combining for 13 strikeouts.
High Point (21-18) remains 4.5 games behind Charleston (26-14) in the South Division. The Rockers hold a half-game lead over Lancaster in the wild card race.
The Rockers return to Truist Point on Thursday looking for a series win against Gastonia Baseball Club).
Staten Island 12, Long Island 7
(Central Islip, N.Y., Aug. 21, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 12-7 on Wednesday evening in the middle game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
Staten Island was led by Ben Norman, who had three hits and RBIs along with a run scored. Nate Scantlin, Luis Castro, Pablo Sandoval and Kolby Johnson chipped in with two hits apiece, with Castro and Sandoval each plating a pair while Johnson scored three times.
Aaron Antonini had two hits and RBIs along with a run scored and a hit by pitch offensively for Long Island. Ryan McBroom reached base three times with single, walk, hit by pitch and two runs scored, while Zach Racusin had two base hits and a free pass.
FerryHawks starting pitcher Nate Roe registered a no-decision, giving up four runs on three hits in three innings pitched, walking two and striking out four. Brennen Oxford (2-0) was the winner in relief, allowing one run on one hit in one and one-third innings of work along with three walks. Ducks starter Jimmy Robbins (6-6) was tagged with the loss, surrendering seven runs (five earned) on nine hits over four and one-third innings on the mound, walking two and striking out four.
The Ducks and FerryHawks wrap up their three-game set on Thursday 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 2024 Ducks Team Photos, courtesy of Farmingdale Meat Market. It’s a Tex’s Chicken & Burgers Thursday, and Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons with a special offer from Tex’s Chicken & Burgers as fans exit the ballpark. It’s also a Thirsty Thursday, and fans can enjoy a buy one, get one half-price offer on Voodoo Ranger beer. Right-hander Chris Ellis (0-0, 2.81) gets the nod for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty John Esposito (1-1, 2.94).
Tickets for the game, and all Ducks games, are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE. Those unable to make the game can follow all the action live on FloBaseball by CLICKING HERE.
Southern Maryland 4, Charleston 1