Long Island 9, York 4
(York, Pa., July 31, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the York Revolution 9-4 in 10 innings on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game series at WellSpan Park.
Aaron Antonini launched a solo home run down the right field line off Revolution starter Jon Olsen in the second inning to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Donovan Casey responded in the third with a two-out, three-run home run to left-center off Ducks starter Mike Montgomery. Zander Wiel added a two-out solo homer to right in the fourth to make it 4-1 Revolution.
The Ducks drew within two runs in the seventh on an RBI single through the right side by Zach Racusin. It stayed that way until the top of the ninth when a two-run double down the right field line by Racusin tied the game at four.
Long Island took a 9-4 lead with a five-run 10th inning. An error that scored Kole Kaler, an RBI single by Ivan Castillo, a two-run triple by Antonini and a wild pitch that scored Antonini did the damage.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Olsen tossed six and two-thirds innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out four. Montgomery (4-5) lasted six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out four. Al Alburquerque (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two. Nelvin Correa (1-1) took the loss, conceding five runs on two hits and a hit batter in the 10th.
Antonini led the Ducks offense with three hits, coming just a single shy of the cycle. He drove in three runs, scored four times and drew a walk. Castillo added three hits, an RBI and a run, while Racusin totaled two hits and three RBIs.
The Ducks and Revolution wrap up their three-game set on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at WellSpan Park. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball by CLICKING HERE. A starter to be determined toes the rubber for the Ducks against Revolution lefty Zach Neff (6-4, 6.77).
Long Island returns home on Friday, August 2, to begin a three-game series against the Lancaster Stormers. 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 Ducks Can Koozies, courtesy of Premier Asset Solutions. It’s also a Tap Room Friday, and as fans exit the ballpark, Ducks staff members will be handing out coupons for 20% off your entire check (dine-in) and 50% off your first online or mobile order app from Tap Room. 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.
Lancaster 10, Staten Island 7
Niko Hulsizer slammed a two-run homer in the fifth inning, and Mason Martin added a three-run blast in the seventh as the Lancaster Stormers defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks, 10-7, in a matinee at SIUH Community Park.
Lancaster trailed, 3-1, entering the top of the fifth, but Taylor Lepard (0-5, 0-8) walked Joe Stewart to start the inning. Stewart stole second and moved up on an infield out before scoring on a Damon Dues double to the gap in right center. Trace Loehr tied the game with a base hit into right. Then Hulsizer unloaded his eighth homer of the season for Lancaster, clearing the boards in left center.
Martin stretched the lead with a towering homer, barely fair, down the right field line with one out in the seventh.
The Stormers spent the rest of the day fighting off comebacks from the pesky FerryHawks. Will Butcher singled home a pair of runs against Kyle Johnson in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-5. Lancaster scored a run on a ground out in each of the last two trips to stretch the lead back to 10-5, and Phil Diehl got the Stormers safely through the eighth inning.
Newcomer Ryan Williamson could not pick up an out in his Stormers debut in the bottom of the ninth, yielding three singles and a walk to the four batters he faced. Stephen Nogosek took over, yielding the inning’s second run on a sacrifice fly by David Melfi. The right-hander then got Jeison Guzman to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, closing out the FerryHawks for his 11th save.
Oscar De La Cruz (2-2) worked the first five innings for Lancaster, yielding five hits and three runs, one earned, in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out four but also hit three batters, including two in a row in Staten Island’s three-run fourth inning.
Lancaster will send Brady Tedesco (0-2) to the mound Thursday evening at 6:30 against Mike Shawaryn (5-7). Fans may tune in on FloBaseball at 6:25.
NOTES: Gaige Howard added four more hits…The right fielder in batting .519 (28-54) in his last 14 games…Martin has seven RBI in the series…Lancaster has won 13 of its last 14 meetings with Staten Island…The Stormers are guaranteed to end the month in first place in the North in the second half.
High Point 7, Gastonia 6 (10 innings)
HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point Rockers defeated the Gastonia Baseball Club 7-6 in 10 innings on Wednesday night at Truist Point.
But that doesn’t tell half the story.
The first half of this tale is that the Rockers were on their way to throwing just the second one-hitter in club history and the first since 2019. Three Rockers hurlers had their way with the Gastonia line-up through the first eight innings. Starter Jeremy Rhoades went five innings and held Gastonia to a single hit and just one run. Lefty Jacob Edwards threw a pair of hitless innings in the sixth and seventh. And righty Zach Vennaro pitched around a walk in the eighth to keep the GBC in check.
Offensively, the Rockers took advantage of some poor Gastonia defense while generating plenty of offense to build a 6-1 lead after eight innings. High Point scored three times in the third on an RBI single from Ben Aklinski, a sac fly from Connor Owings, and an unearned run that came when Martin Figueroa reached on an infield error. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth on a sac fly from Gilberto Jimenez.
Gastonia used a walk, a stolen base and a pair of infield groundouts to score its lone run in the fifth.
High Point took advantage of two walks, an error and another sac fly, this one from Evan Edwards, to surge ahead 5-1 in the fifth then added an insurance run in the sixth when Figueroa’s fly ball to right was dropped and he scored on a single by Owings.
High Point tied the club record with three sacrifice flies and used their speed to beat out three infield singles through the first eight innings.
But, there’s always more to the story.
The Rockers brought in closer Dakota Chalmers in the ninth before misfortune hit. Chalmers walked the first two batters he faced before striking out Jake Gatewood for the first out and followed by fanning Marc Flores for the second out. Down to their last out, Gastonia’s Clint Coulter beat out an infield single of his own to load the bases. Jacob Robson then brought home a pair of runs with a double in the left-center gap. With two aboard, catcher Hidekel Gonzalez sent a line drive over the left field fence for a three-run homer to tie the game before Chalmers fanned Alan Alonso to force extra innings tied at 6-6. High Point did not get a runner into scoring position in the ninth,
Nate Griep (W, 2-1) came on the for Rockers in the 10th with a ghost runner at second in the form of pinch-runner Eric De La Rosa. Richie Martin attempted to bunt De La Rosa to third but he lined the bunt directly back to Griep who fired to second to double off De La Rosa on a 1-6 double play.
The Rockers began their half of the 10th with Owings at second and Gabe Klobosits (L, 4-4) on the mound for Gastonia. Edwards pulled a grounder to first that resulted in an out but moved Owings to third. After an intentional walk to Trey Martin to set up a potential double play, Jake Washer hit a high chopper to first. Flores leaped and made the grab before stepping on first but was unable to get off a throw to home, allowing Owings to score the winning run.
Figueroa and Burt each had a pair of hits for the Rockers 10-hit attack. Gastonia had four hits in the game and committed three errors leading to four unearned runs. Coulter was the only Gastonia player with two hits.
The Rockers, 15-7 in the second half, will maintain first place in the Atlantic League South. Charleston (13-8) was still playing late Wednesday night and Gastonia (12-10) is in third place.
The High Point Rockers will face the Gastonia Baseball Club in the series finale on Thursday, August 1st at 6:35 p.m. It will be Thirsty Thursday with beverage specials at all concession stands.
Hagerstown 7, Southern Maryland 0
Charleston 9, Lexington 8