Gastonia 3, High Point 2 (10)
As if the previous night wasn’t filled with enough drama, Gastonia walked off against High Point once again in the 10th inning with a single, scoring a runner from third. Talk about déjà vu.
Josh Stowers played hero Wednesday night with a two-out, 67 mile-per-hour bloop single to right field, giving the Club a 3-2 victory.
Nick Wells and Ben Braymer, both lefty starters, had great outings for their respective squads.
Wells made his fourth start of the season for Gastonia, and the southpaw allowed two runs in 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out eight batters.
Wells was cruising through five innings, allowing just two High Point baserunners – a Colin Moran single and Brian Parreira walk.
Pareira walked once more to lead off the sixth before D.J. Burt worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Wells, resulting in a two-run home run. Burt’s long ball gave the Rockers a 2-1 lead in the sixth.
The Gastonia offense, which had one run on two hits through five innings against Braymer, responded immediately to tie things up.
Jake Gatewood, who extended his on-base streak to 14 games on Wednesday, doubled with one out. Patrick Mazeika then hit a single to right-center that scored Gatewood to make it 2-2 in the sixth.
Just like Tuesday night, the game remained tied until the 10th inning.
Both bullpens were spectacular.
Gastonia: 4 relievers, 4.1 innings, 0 R
High Point: 4 relievers, 3.2 innings, 0 ER
Trent Fennell, Bryan Blanton, Pheonix Sanders and Cory Thompson were the arms used by Mauro “Goose” Gozzo in relief of Wells, with Thompson’s performance being the most impressive.
Thompson stepped into the same role that Gabe Klobosits had Tuesday night – facing the Rockers in the top of the 10th, with a ghost runner starting on second base.
And he filled it perfectly.
The right-hander retired the bottom of the High Point order 1-2-3 to keep it 2-2 headed to the bottom of the 10th.
Jake Hoover, who scored the game-winner the previous night, laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Eric De La Rosa to third.
Ryan Meisinger, the fourth and final reliever used by the Rockers, struck out Jack Reinheimer before facing Stowers.
Stowers was responsible for his team’s first run of the night, blasting a solo homer off Braymer in the fourth inning. Now, he had a chance to play hero.
The center fielder hit a 67 mile-per-hour pop up to shallow right field, with Martin Figueroa charging like a free safety attempting to make a play on a tight end.
Figueroa dove in, got his glove on the ball and was unable to hold onto it, the ball trickling slowly away from him – the High Point right fielder inches away from sending the game to an 11th inning.
De La Rosa scored and Gastonia completed its second straight walk-off win against its arch rival.
Gastonia improved to 34-15 on the season, now three games up on High Point in the South Division with 14 games to go in the first half.
The Club goes for the sweep on Thursday, with first pitch at 7 p.m.
York 17, Hagerstown 9
(June 19, 2024 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution put up an offensive explosion early in Wednesday’s matchup with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, knocking 17 hits and scoring a season high 17 runs in a 17-9 win at WellSpan Park. York (31-18) has won six of its last seven overall, increasing its first place lead in the North Division to five games with 14 to play in the first half.
Hagerstown, who entering play was the only team to score against Aaron Fletcher in the first inning all season, did the same in the first on Wednesday night. After Andrew Moritz reached on an infield single that hugged the first base line the entire way, the Boxcars executed a perfect hit and run to put runners on the corners. Welington Dotel doubled home a run, and Blake Berry singled home another pair to put up an early 3-0 lead. Fletcher was able to get Osvaldo Abreu to tap back to the mound for a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning.
After Donovan Casey worked a two out walk in the bottom of the first, David Washington blasted a two-run homer to right center field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Hagerstown put up another three spot in the second inning with Tyler Hill getting things started with a one-out home run over the Arch Nemesis. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Jaylyn Williams who singled home another pair to make it 6-2 Hagerstown.
Kobe Kato got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning with a one out double to left to plate Alfredo Reyes. With two outs, York rattled off six more runs against starter Malik Binns. Rudy Martin Jr doubled home a pair and eventually scored on an error. Colton Welker capped off the rally with a three-run home run to left center field, which punctuated a seven-run frame, the most York has put up in a single inning this season, making it 9-6.
Matt McDermott singled home a pair of runs in the third inning and Washington launched his second home run of the night, another two-run shot this time to left. Casey also had an RBI groundout as part of a five-run inning that made it 14-6 Revs.
York plated runs in each of the next two innings as well. In the fourth, Michael Berglund dropped a base hit into center field to score Reyes. In the fifth, Washington drove home Martin Jr with a double to center field, off the top right corner of the batter’s eye, narrowly missing his third longball of the night. After five, York led 16-6.
Tom Sutera (3-1) retired the first six he faced in relief before Dotel reached on an error to start the seventh. Abreu knocked in a run on a single, but on the next play, the Hagerstown baserunning completely broke down to cut the rally short. Curtis Terry hit a ball to right field and with both runners going on contact, Casey made the catch to start a 9-4-6-3 triple play, the second triple play in Revs franchise history.
York got another run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh as Welker capped a four-RBI night, making it 17-7.
Aaron Holiday made his Revs debut in the eighth inning, striking out the side in a scoreless frame.
Neil Lang allowed a two-out, two run double to Hill in the ninth inning but struck out Moritz to close things down and secure the 17-9 win.
Jon Olsen (4-0, 2.63) will take the ball against Boxcars spot starter Alex Katz (1-2, 5.82) as York looks for the sweep Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Promos include Explore York Makers Fair, Hunger Free Thursday presented by Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Boomer’s Book Club Bookmark Redemption Night #4 presented by Northern Central Railway, and Golf Night. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.
Notes: York continues the best start to a season in franchise history with its 31-18 record. The Revs’ five-game division lead is their largest since the end of the 2016 first half, and two games shy of a franchise record set late in the 2008 season. The Revs have won eight of their last nine at WellSpan Park. Martin Jr (4-for-6) enjoyed his third game of four hits or more while also scoring four runs; he has now scored nine runs in his past four games and 19 runs in his last 11 contests while batting .446 (25-for-56) since May 29. Washington takes over the league lead in RBI with 49 after a season-high five-RBI performance, his third game of four RBI or more this season. Washington’s two-homer game is his third of the year and second in a week as he now has six home runs across his last six games. He increases his league lead to 19 long balls on the year and is threatening the Revs’ record for homers in a half (23 set by Chris Nowak in 2012 and Carlos Franco in 2022). Casey extends his hitting streak to 11 games. The Revs stole five bags including Kato’s 23rd consecutive successful steal to begin the season, tying a franchise record set by Martin Jr earlier in the week.
Southern Maryland 3, Lancaster 1
Daryl Thompson has not been himself this season. At least not until Wednesday night.
The Blue Crabs veteran yielded five hits over 6 1/3 innings, pitching Southern Maryland to a 3-1 victory over the Lancaster Stormers in the middle game of a three-game series at Regency Furniture Stadium.
Thompson (2-7) walked two and struck out nine in the effort. The win was his 99th in the Atlantic League, extending his own record.
Lancaster’s only run came in the fifth inning on singles by Shawon Dunston, Jr. and Damon Dues around the first of two steals of the night for Dunston. Thompson left after yielding a one-out double to Justin Farmer in the seventh. Cody Thompson, Jason Creasy and Endrys Briceno combined to shut the door on the Stormers over the remainder of the night. Briceno earned his ninth save of the season.
Thompson’s Blue Crabs teammates provided all the run support he needed in the early innings. Aaron Hill reached Noah Bremer (4-3) for a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the second. Southern Maryland stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third when Brandon Pugh grounded a single into center with one out, stole second and eventually rode home on a two-out single to right by Juan Kelly.
Bremer did not allow another hit over the remainder of his six-inning stint. The right-hander would eventually strike out eight Blue Crabs hitters.
The game featured the ejections of Southern Maryland manager Stan Cliburn and Lancaster third baseman Jordan Howard, both over pitch clock violations. Daryl Thompson was called for two such violations in the second, one of which was the fourth ball to Payton Robertson. Howard was ejected after being ruled out on strikes in the sixth inning.
Matt Swarmer makes the start for the Stormers in the series finale on Thursday, marking his return to the Atlantic League. Swarmer was 4-1 for Lancaster down the stretch in 2023. He will be opposed by one-time Lancaster right-hander Spencer Johnston (1-0). Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball at 7:00.
NOTES: Joseph Carpenter singled into center in the fourth and has now hit safely in 23 of 24 games…Dunston has 10 steals in the last 13 games…Bremer has thrown back-to-back quality starts but has lost both with only one run of support.
Staten Island 8, Long Island 6
(Central Islip, N.Y., June 19, 2024) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 8-6 on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.
Staten Island plated six runs in the third inning off Ducks starter Mike Montgomery to open the scoring. Luis Castro’s two-run single, Ben Norman’s RBI single and Drew Maggi’s three-run home run to left field did the damage. Two more runs in the sixth on Kolby Johnson’s RBI triple and Nate Scantlin’s RBI infield single made it 8-0.
The Ducks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth on Ryan McBroom’s two-out, two-run double to right-center field off FerryHawks starter Christian Capuano. A three-run eighth inning, highlighted by Tyler Dearden’s solo homer to left-center and Chance Sisco’s two-run homer to left-center, closed the gap to 8-5. Frank Schwindel added an RBI double to left in the ninth, trimming Long Island’s deficit to two, but the comeback was halted there.
Capuano (6-1) earned the win, tossing seven innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out four. Montgomery (1-2) took the loss, surrendering eight runs on 10 hits and three walks in five and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts. J.P. Woodward picked up his third save of the season despite allowing a run on two hits and a walk in one and one-third innings.
Schwindel led the Ducks offensively with three hits, an RBI and two runs. Sisco added two hits, two RBIs, two runs and a walk, while Manuel Geraldo recorded three hits and a run.
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). It’s Super Hero Night at the ballpark, and both Spider-Man and Captain America will be making an appearance at the ballpark, courtesy of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Additionally, Stony Brook Children’s will be presenting its annual Kids Health & Safety Expo on the main concourse behind home plate. It will also be a Tex’s Chicken & Burgers Thursday and a Thirsty Thursday at the ballpark. Right-hander Nick Tropeano (0-0, 18.00) toes the rubber for the Ducks against FerryHawks righty Mike Shawaryn (4-2, 5.97).
Charleston 5, Lexington 1