York 3, Charleston 1
(June 5, 2024 – Charleston, WV): Michael Horrell fired six scoreless innings of two-hit ball as the York Revolution topped the Charleston Dirty Birds, 3-1 on Wednesday night at GoMart Ballpark. The Revs gain 1.5 games in the standings with Wednesday’s results, increasing their North Division first place lead to 3.0 games with a 23-14 record and exactly one month remaining in the season’s first half.
Wednesday’s contest got underway after a rain delay of one hour and two minutes, and neither team could muster a base hit through the first three innings.
Horrell was tested in the bottom of the second after issuing a pair of walks to open the frame. A soft comebacker advanced both runners with one out. Matt McDermott came up big defensively as Juan Santana hit a one-out grounder to short with the infield back. Recognizing that Keon Barnum hesitated from third base, McDermott threw home to catcher Paul Mondesi for a tag out, helping Horrell escape the inning unscathed.
York drew first blood in the fourth as Kobe Kato led off with a double to left center for the game’s first hit. Donovan Casey’s fly out to right advanced Kato to third, from where he scored on David Washington’s two-strike RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.
York added two more with two outs in the sixth as Washington clubbed another two-strike RBI single to center, and Colton Welker followed by smashing an RBI single down the left field line to build a 3-0 lead.
Horrell (2-1) held a one-hitter with two outs in the sixth and allowed just two total hits over six shutout innings for his second win in as many starts, having now worked 10 consecutive scoreless innings. He had made just one start in his pro career prior to winning his first two starting assignments with York.
Denny Bentley maneuvered past a pair of seeing-eye singles for a scoreless seventh while Moises Lugo was unbothered by a leadoff single in a scoreless eighth.
Tom Sutera registered his second career save and first since 2018 in the ninth inning. Jared Carr connected on a one-out solo homer to right to bust up the shutout bid, but Sutera rebounded to retire Santana on a fly out. After a two-out walk, Sutera fanned pinch hitter Rusber Estrada to close out a satisfying bounce back victory for the Revs following a painful loss the night before.
The Revs improve to 14-6 on the road and have won four of five meetings against the Dirty Birds this season. They’ll go for a second series win in as many tries on their current road trip Thursday at 6:35 PM as LHP Ethan Lindow (2-3) goes for a second straight win opposite Charleston’s Gerald Ogando (0-1). 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 6:15 PM.
Notes: York has won four of five meetings against Charleston this season with one head-to-head contest remaining. Washington (two RBI) has driven in seven runs in the past three games. Jacob Rhinesmith was held hitless, seeing his nine-game hitting streak snapped. With two strike outs, Bentley has now struck out 21 batters compared to just four walks in 15.0 innings on the season. Lugo worked a scoreless eighth for the second straight night and has now tossed four straight scoreless outings; he has pitched scoreless ball in 13 of his last 14 appearances. Sutera allowed just his second earned run all season but recorded his first save since August 10, 2018 with the Gulf Coast League Phillies.
High Point 7, Long Island 2
HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point Rockers left-hander Jonah Scolaro shut down the Long Island Ducks offense on Wednesday night as the Rockers took game two of the series by a 7-2 final. Scolaro (W, 2-0) tossed 6.2 innings, yielded just three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Scolaro’s strong effort on the mound was supported by the Rockers’ offense which scored five runs in the first two innings off Long Island starter Daniel Corcino (L, 2-2).
The Rockers tallied a run in the first when Ben Aklinski hit a sac fly to score Martin Figueroa who had drawn a lead-off walk.
High Point posted four more runs in the second off Corcino. Ryan Grotjohn and D.J. Burt started the frame with singles and Corcino walked Figueroa to load the bases. A single by Evan Edwards brought home two runs before back-to-back sac flies from Colin Moran and Connor Owings finished off the inning.
Ryan Grotjohn singled home a run in the fifth and another in the seventh to complete High Point’s scoring.
Scolaro did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning. Long Island’s only runs came with two outs in the sixth when Scolaro walked Ryan McBroom and gave up a two-run homer to Chance Sisco that cut the Rockers lead to 5-2.
Reliever Austin Ross replaced Scolaro and did not allow a run in his inning of work. Braeden Ogle came on with two outs in the eighth and earned a four-out save, his first of the season.
The High Point Rockers advanced to 23-14 and the Long Island Ducks slipped to 17-20. The Rockers remain a game behind South Division-leading Gastonia (24-13) which swept a doubleheader from Staten Island on Wednesday.
Game three of the series between the Rockers and Ducks is slated for a 6:35 p.m. start on Thursday.
Hagerstown at Lancaster, postponed
Wednesday evening’s scheduled game between the Lancaster Stormers and Hagerstown Flying Boxcars was postponed due to persistent heavy rains in Lancaster.
The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, June 6. The first game will begin at 4:00, and the second will start at 7:00 or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener, whichever is later. Both games will be seven innings.
Lancaster will send left-hander Max Green (1-3) and right-hander Jack Labosky to the hill to start the respective games. For Hagerstown, it will be right-hander Marvin Gorgas (1-1) and southpaw Mike Kickham (3-2).
Both games will be carried live on Blue Ridge 11 and FloBaseball, starting at 4:00.
Gastonia 6, Staten Island 5
On June 5, 2024, the Gastonia Baseball Club narrowly defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 6-5 in an exciting matchup.
Staten Island struck first with three runs in the third inning, thanks to a two-RBI double by Pablo Sandoval and a three-run homer by Joe Dunand. Gastonia quickly responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, led by Josh Stowers’ two-run homer.
Gastonia took the lead with a two-run fourth inning. Justin Wylie contributed with a two-run shot, and Patrick Mazeika added a solo homer in the fifth, giving Gastonia a 5-4 lead. Stowers drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, increasing the lead to 6-5 in the sixth.
On the mound, Christian Capuano pitched five innings for Staten Island, allowing five runs on five hits. Bryan Warzek took the loss after giving up the deciding run in his one inning of work. For Gastonia, Ian McKinney pitched four innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Gabe Klobosits earned the win, and Phoenix Sanders notched his seventh save.
Key players for Staten Island included Sandoval, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, and Dunand, who had a home run and three RBIs. Gastonia’s offensive standouts were Stowers with a home run and two RBIs and Wylie with a two-run homer.
The game ended with no errors from either team, and the FerryHawks left seven runners on base compared to Gastonia’s two. The tightly contested game, played in front of 1,015 fans, lasted just over two hours.
Gastonia 9, Staten Island 2
On June 5, 2024, the Gastonia Baseball Club resumed their game against the Staten Island FerryHawks, which had been suspended due to weather. The game picked up in the bottom of the third inning with Gastonia already leading 2-0. They went on to secure a decisive 9-2 victory.
Staten Island’s offense struggled early against Gastonia’s pitching. The FerryHawks managed only six hits and two runs, both driven in by Brandon Norman’s two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Gastonia’s offense exploded with a three-run third inning and a four-run fourth. Patrick Mazeika and Eric De La Rosa each hit a home run, with Mazeika driving in three runs and De La Rosa also contributing three RBIs. Kevin Watson Jr. and Jake Gatewood each added RBIs to bolster Gastonia’s lead.
Matt Reitz started for Staten Island, allowing two runs in 2.1 innings. Jesse Estrada struggled in relief, giving up seven runs on five hits and four walks in just one inning of work. William Kirwan and Brian McKenna managed to hold Gastonia scoreless in the later innings.
For Gastonia, Ryan Conroy started and pitched three scoreless innings. Nick Wells earned the win with five solid innings, giving up two runs while striking out ten. Jake Miednik closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning.
Key performances included:
- Staten Island: Ben Norman’s two-run homer, and Luis Castro who went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Gastonia: Patrick Mazeika’s 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, Eric De La Rosa’s 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, and Kevin Watson Jr.’s 1-for-3 with an RBI double.
Despite the loss, Staten Island’s defensive efforts included a double play turned by Drew Maggi, Taylor Motter, and Luis Castro. The game, which resumed at 4:01 PM, concluded without further interruptions in just under three hours.
With this win, Gastonia showcased its powerful offense and solid pitching, maintaining their strong presence in the league.
Lexington 13, Southern Maryland 0
On June 5, 2024, the Lexington Legends bounced back from their previous loss with a commanding 13-0 victory over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Lexington’s offense exploded, and their pitching staff delivered a stellar performance, allowing only four hits.
The Legends started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning. They broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning, followed by a six-run fifth inning, and capped it off with two more runs in the sixth.
Key highlights of the game included:
- Kole Cottam led the charge, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
- Jesus Tavarez had a huge day, hitting a grand slam and driving in five runs.
- Pedro Gonzalez contributed with a two-run homer and three walks.
- Drew Jemison scored three runs and hit a double.
Lexington’s pitching was dominant throughout:
- Luis De La Rosa earned the win, pitching six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out eight.
- Raymells Rosa, Juan Pichardo, and Osiris German each pitched an inning in relief, combining to allow only one hit and striking out two.
Southern Maryland struggled both offensively and defensively, committing three errors and failing to mount any offensive threat:
- Ian Yetsko managed one of the few highlights for the Blue Crabs with a double.
- The Blue Crabs’ starter, Shawn Semple, took the loss, giving up six earned runs on six hits and one walk over four innings.
The Legends took full advantage of Southern Maryland’s mistakes and showcased their power and discipline at the plate. This emphatic win improved their standings and displayed their potential for dominating performances.
Despite the loss, Southern Maryland will look to rebound and address the issues that led to this lopsided defeat. The game, witnessed by 1,444 fans, concluded in a brisk 2 hours and 17 minutes under mostly cloudy skies at a comfortable 76 degrees.