High Point 12, York 2

(September 4, 2022 – High Point, NC):  The York Revolution lost their fifth in-a-row, suffering a weekend sweep against the High Point Rockers with a 12-2 loss at Truist Point on Sunday evening. The win also marked High Point’s fifth straight victory.

 York fell behind big in the first two innings as the High Point offense went to work right away. The Rockers scored twice in the first on a Jerry Downs sac fly and a Zander Wiel RBI ground out, before erupting for six more in the second to go up 8-0. Michael Martinez socked a homer to right to kick off the big frame, while the second run scored on a bases loaded swinging bunt hit off the bat of Ben Aklinski. Downs drilled a two-run double to right, Wiel added another RBI ground out, and Logan Morrison nailed a run-scoring double to right center.

 The Revs got on the board in the third as JC Encarnacion launched a long two-run homer to left field, his 13th of the year, but that was the extent of York’s run production on the day.

 Revs starter Courtney Mack was lifted after two innings due to injury, as reliever Nick Green entered to work a 1-2-3 third, but the Rockers got to Green for three runs on four hits in the fourth as the lead expanded to 11-2. Morrison ripped a two-run double to right and Jay Gonzalez singled home a run as part of the rally.

 Franklin Van Gurp calmed things with two scoreless innings in relief including escaping a fifth inning jam on a bases loaded double play off the bat of Wiel, before setting down the side in order with a pair of strikeouts in the sixth.

 Doug Olcese followed with a scoreless seventh, before the Rockers plated their final run on a bases loaded walk by Carlos Ventura to JR DiSarcina with two outs in the eighth.

 Rockers starter Craig Stem worked five innings to earn the win, taking over the High Point franchise lead with his 12th victory in a Rockers uniform. Three relievers combined to handle the final four innings, keeping the Revs off the board the rest of the way.

 The win is High Point’s fifth consecutive victory, maintaining its half-game lead in the Atlantic League’s wild card race.

 York returns home on Labor Day Monday, hosting the Long Island Ducks at 4:30 p.m. 

Staten Island 6, Long Island 2

(Staten Island, N.Y., Sept. 4, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 6-2 on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game Labor Day Weekend series at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.

 Staten Island took an immediate 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning against Long Island starter James Varela on an RBI two-base hit by Dilson Herrera and a two run double off the bat of Mariel Bautista. The FerryHawks made it 4-0 in their favor in the second when Antoine Duplantis drove home Andres Noriega with a groundout to Phil Caulfield at second base.  

 The Ducks got to within 4-2 in the fifth versus FerryHawks starter Dylan Castaneda courtesy of an opposite-field run-scoring single from Caulfield that plated Matt Chamberlain after he drew a walk with one man down and an RBI double into the right field corner produced by Alejandro De Aza that enabled Anfernee Seymour to cross the plate after he followed Chamberlain’s walk with a free pass of his own. Staten Island regained a four-run cushion at 6-2 in the sixth with Bautista at it once again as he laced a line drive two-run home run just over the left field wall which lifted the home team to the series triumph.

 Castaneda (1-0) earned the win, giving up two runs on four hits over five innings of work, walking three while striking out four. Varela (1-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering six runs on 11 hits (one home run) across five and one-third innings pitched, walking and striking out one. Michael Sullivan fired an inning and a third of scoreless baseball to notch his first save of the season.

 Tzu-Wei Lin had a pair of base knocks and a stolen base in the losing effort.

,The Ducks continue their road trip on Monday afternoon when they open a four-game series against the York Revolution. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at PeoplesBank Park.

Lancastger 3, Southern Maryland 0

WALDORF, Cameron Gann and the Lancaster bullpen came up big on Sunday afternoon, combining on a four-hit shutout of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs as the Barnstormers took the rubber game of a three-game series, 3-0, at Regency Furniture Stadium.

 With the win, the Barnstormers hold a five-game lead in the second half race with 13 left on the schedule.  A tie would also match the Barnstormers with the first half champion Blue Crabs in the opening round of the playoffs by league rule.

 Gann (7-8) worked the first five innings, yielding one single and three walks.  He got through the first four innings on one hit and one walk, throwing just 47 pitches.  The fifth turned out to be a good deal stickier as the right-hander required 34 pitches to get through five hitters, walking two and striking out a pair.

 Brandyn Sittinger allowed a leadoff single by Michael Baca in the sixth before retiring the side in order afterward.  The right-hander also set the side down in 1-2-3 fashion in the seventh as did Josh Graham in the eighth.

 In the ninth, West Tunnell, retired Braxton Lee leading off , but Joe DeLuca and Alex Crosby drilled one-out singles into center.  Zach Collier flied to Melvin Mercedes in center for the second out.  After falling behind Jared Walker, 3-1, Tunnell got him to bounce out to first, to earn his 10th save.

 Lancaster reached Eddie Butler (12-4) for all three runs in the top of the third.  Joseph Carpenter lined a single into center to start the inning.  Trace Loehr split the gap in left center for a double, getting Carpenter to third.  Mercedes drove in both with a double inside the first base bag.  He later scored from third on a single into left by Colton Shaver.

Overall, the Barnstormers managed only eight hits in the game.

 The Barnstormers will take on the High Point Rockers on Tuesday with right-hander Brooks Hall (4-1) taking the hill at Truist Point.  Fans may tune into the YouTube channel, beginning at 6:30.

 NOTES:  Lancaster is 6-3 on the current 15-game road trip…The shutout was the first thrown by the staff since June 9, also started by Gann…Gann fanned four and now has 132 for the year, eight from the club record…Mercedes had his first multi-hit game and his first RBI of the road trip…Lancaster has gone seven games without a home run…Lancaster is now 2-12 against Southern Maryland on the season.

Kentucky 5, Gastonia 4

GASTONIA, N.C. - The Gastonia Honey Hunters dropped the rubber game of a three-game set with the Wild Health Genomes on Sunday evening by a 5-4 score at Caromont Health Park.

Wild Health got on the board early in the contest, plating two runs in the first inning on an opposite-field home run by Jimmy Paredes The home run by Paredes was his 18th of the year.

Matt Solter, making his debut for Gastonia(79-41,34-20) pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on twelve hits. He would be saddled with the loss, moving his record to 5-11.

Wild Health(62-57,27-26) tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth inning, chasing Solter from the game. A single run in the seventh inning closed out the scoring for the Genomes.

Wild Health held a seemingly comfortable 5-1 lead in the eighth inning, but Gastonia managed to chip away at the lead with a single run in the eighth, followed by a pair of runs in the ninth.

Stuart Levy scored on a throwing error by Genomes catcher Austin Rei, who was attempting to cut down Reece Hampton from stealing second. The run cut the margin to 5-2 in favor of Wild Health.

In the ninth, Gastonia rallied with two runners as Cole Freeman stepped to the plate. Freeman, on to pinch-hit for the Honey Hunters, lined a base hit to center. The sinking liner held up long enough for Eury Perez to attempt a diving grab, but was unable to come away with the baseball. Zach Jarrett and Jake Skole would come around to score as the ball rolled to the wall in left center field. Freeman rounded third, seeking to tie the game with an inside-the-park home run, only to be cut down at the plate on the relay throw.

Stuart Levy would close out the contest with a strikeout, giving Wild Health the series win and Diogenes Almengo his fifth save of the season.

Nate Peden would claim the win for the Genomes, tossing 2.2 innings of one-hit baseball.

The two clubs will renew acquaintances in Lexington on Tuesday in a three-game set. First pitch time is set for 6:35 pm.

Charleston 5, Lexington 4 (10 innings)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Charleston Dirty Birds scored single runs in the ninth and 10^th innings and posted a 5-4 win over the Lexington Legends on Sunday at Wild Health Field.

Charleston trailed 4-3 before tying the game in the ninth on an RBI single by Yovan Gonzalez. In the 10^th, Edwin Espinal put the Dirty Birds ahead 5-4 with a single that scored Scott Burcham with the go-ahead run. Charleston’s Isaac Sanchez (W, 2-2) retired the Legends in order in the bottom of the 10^th to earn the win. Edison Suriel (L, 2-1) took the loss for Lexington.

Espinal finished the game with three hits while Miles Williams hit a three-run homer in the sixth for Charleston. James Nelson led the Legends with three hits including a solo homer.