Long Island 8, Charleston 7

Central Islip, N.Y., June 13, 2023) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Charleston Dirty Birds 8-7 in walk-off fashion on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Charleston took an immediate 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Jalen Miller and Dwight Smith Jr. off Ducks starter Joe Iorio. Long Island responded with a six-run second inning off Dirty Birds starter Colt Webb to go in front 6-2. RBI doubles by Adeiny Hechavarria and Boog Powell along with a three-run homer to right field by Chance Sisco highlighted the inning. 

The Revolution closed to within 6-4 on a solo homer by Justin O’Conner in the third and an RBI single by Yovan Gonzalez in the sixth. Long Island pushed the lead back up to three in the seventh on Alex Dickerson’s RBI single to right. 

The Dirty Birds rallied in the ninth for three runs to tie the game at seven on a wild pitch that plated Yefri Perez and a two-run single to left by O’Conner. However, Ruben Tejada walked leading off the bottom of the ninth, advanced to second on a groundout and scored the winning run on Sam Travis’ RBI single up the middle. 

Neither starter factored into the decision. Iorio pitched six innings of four-run ball, allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out six. Webb lasted five innings, conceding six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Kevin Quackenbush (3-2) picked up the win despite allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in one inning. Joan Martinez (0-1) took the loss, surrendering the game-winning run on a hit and a walk in one-third of an inning. 

Tzu-Wei Lin led the Flock offensively with three hits and a run. Powell, Travis and Dickerson each added two hits, an RBI and a run. 

The Ducks and Dirty Birds continue their three-game set on Wednesday 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 a Waddle In Wednesday at the ballpark! Fans will be able to purchase Long Island Ducks Clip Bows for just $10 (normally $15) at the Waddle In Shop throughout the ballgame. Left-hander Stephen Tarpley (1-2, 5.22) takes the mound for the Ducks against Dirty Birds southpaw Joe Testa (1-1, 2.82).

Gastonia 5, So. Maryland 0

GASTONIA, N.C. - Gunnar Kines had his best outing of the season, going 6.2 scoreless innings and striking out 10, as he helped Gastonia blank Southern Maryland 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Kines was coming off a rough start, allowing seven runs in five innings on Wednesday against Charleston. The lefty gave up nine hits, walked two and struck out two. He got his first loss of the season in a poor outing.

The southpaw was a completely different pitcher on Tuesday.

Kines fooled hitters with his fastball and changeup, with a lot of his pitches located on the outer part of the plate.

“I was getting more ahead of these hitters,” Kines said about the difference from Wednesday’s start to Tuesday’s. “I was able to mix and match… I don’t throw 95, so I gotta be able to at least locate certain parts of the zone a little better than some other guys.”

Kines didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, and only got into one jam. He loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, and David Richardson came in and retired Philip Caulfield to keep Southern Maryland scoreless.

The lefty started the season as a reliever. After four relief appearances, he turned into a starter and just had his best outing of the season against the Blue Crabs.

Luis Curbelo got the scoring started for Gastonia, hitting an opposite-field two-run homer just over the leaping attempt of Braxton Lee in the second frame.

Curbelo’s second long ball of the year gave the Honey Hunters a 2-0 lead.

He went on to get three hits in the game, all off Southern Maryland starter Willie Rios.

Curbelo has quite the difference in his home/road splits.

The second baseman was hitting .240 with a .618 OPS before coming into Tuesday’s game, so those numbers increased.

He has a .159 average and .404 OPS in away games.

“I feel like I’ve always been a home guy,” Curbelo said. “I fall in love with the town, with the fans. And I like to have conversations, small talk with fans on-deck sometimes. It just feels good, it feels at home.”

Curbelo also made an outstanding defensive play on Tuesday.

The first batter Bryan Blanton faced in the eighth inning was Lee, who hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Curbelo dove to his right, fielded and threw from his knees in time. He’s been great defensively all season, and flashed the leather in addition to having a great night at the dish.

Carlos Franco continued his hot hitting, as he came into the game leading the league in OPS and went 3-for-3 with a couple doubles and a walk.

After his first two-bagger, Scott Manea brought him and Zach Jarrett home with a hard grounder up the middle with the infield in. That made it 4-0 Gastonia in the third.

The fifth Honey Hunter run came in the fourth, following Curbelo’s second hit of the evening.

Jack Reinheimer hit a deep drive to left-center off the wall. Curbelo was off to the races, and he scored all the way from first as Reinheimer cruised into second with his 13th double of the year.

Blanton pitched the last two frames, striking out a couple batters and putting the finishing touches on Gastonia’s shutout of Southern Maryland.

The Honey Hunters improved to 28-12, and remain in first place in the South.

The Blue Crabs fell to 23-16, and drop into second place in the North because York won on Tuesday night.

Game 2 of the series is on Wednesday at 11:35 a.m.

High Point 6, Frederick 5 (10 innings)

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Brian Parreira slapped a base hit to the wall in right field to score Zander Wiel and give the High Point Rockers a 6-5 win in 10 innings against Frederick on Tuesday night at Truist Point.

“I don’t think I’ve ever hit a walk-off in my life,” said Parreira following the game.  “I’ve had some crucial hits in my career but I don’t think I’ve had a true walk-off like that. Guys asked me what pitch I hit and I just don’t remember. I kind of blocked it out after I made contact. It felt good and I knew the game was over.”

Parreira’s game-winning hit amplified what had been an outstanding performance from the Rockers pitchers. The bullpen pitched the final five innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out six. Jameson McGrane (W, 2-0) was the final beneficiary, grabbing the win by not allowing a hit over the ninth and tenth innings. 

Frederick’s Jeff Singer (L, 0-1) came on in the 10^th inning with Wiel, the final out of the ninth inning, on second. After striking out Ben Aklinski, Parreira hit a 3-1 offering in the right-center gap to easily plate Wiel with the winning run.

High Point took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Frederick starter Winston Lavendier walked the first two batters he faced, Michael Russell and Shed Long, Jr. Ben Aklinski followed with a two-run triple to give High Point a 2-0 lead. Aklinski scored on Beau Taylor’s ground out to first base.

The lead grew to 5-0 in the second when Lavendier walked Montrell Marshall with one out and Russell followed with his fourth home run of the year.

Frederick got three runs back in the third when Rockers starter Ryan Weiss hit Kole Cottam to start the inning and then walked lead-off hitter Luke Becker. Craig Dedelow doubled to score Cottam and Jose Marmolejos added a double of his own to bring home Becker and Dedelow. Frederick added another run in the fifth when Osaldo Abreu singled to start the inning and then stole second. Becker moved Abreu to third when he grounded out to second. Craig Dedelow then lifted a fly ball in foul territory deep behind third. Shortstop Ryan Grotjohn made an outstanding catch though Abreu was able to tag and score to pull Frederick within one at 5-4.

Weiss went five innings and allowed four hits and four runs while walking one and striking out seven. A.J. Cole came out of the bullpen to pitch the sixth and allowed a game-tying solo homer to Raudy Reed.

Frederick started the seventh inning on a single by Kole Cottam. Designated pinch runner Scott Kelly replaced him on first and was sacrificed to second by Osvaldo Abreu. Becker then sent a sinking liner to center where Ben Aklinski made a diving catch and was able to throw out Kelly who was running on contact for an inning-ending double play.

High Point and Frederick will play the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. The game will be streamed live on FloBaseball and also available on the Mixlr app. It will be a Winning Wednesday and fans can redeem their tickets from last Wednesday’s win over So. Maryland for a ticket to Wednesday night’s game.

York 7, Lancaster 6

YORK, Pa. - Troy Stokes, Jr., who knocked in five runs on Sunday, slugged a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, then put York over the top with a two-run single in the seventh as the Revolution rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Lancaster Barnstormers at WellSpan Park.

 Lancaster struck big early.  Jake Hoover tripled home Joseph Carpenter in the top of the second then scored on a ground out by Yeison Coca. 

 After Trey Martin knocked home a York run in the bottom of the third, the Barnstormers reached starter Pedro Vasquez for five hits and three runs in the top of the fourth.  Wilson Garcia drilled a single off Vasquez’ foot and moved to second on a one-out bunt single by Jack Conley.  Hoover drove home his second run of the game with a single through the hole at shortstop.  Coca added a single for a 4-1 lead, and Andretty Cordero bounced a single through the right side as Lancaster went up, 5-1.

 Alexis Pantoja’s RBI double cut the lead to 5-2, but the Barnstormers countered quickly in the top of the fifth.  Trayvon Robinson doubled to left, took third on a Garcia line drive to right and scored when Carpenter lofted a fly ball to the warning track in left.

 However, despite adding one hit per inning over the final four frames, the Barnstormers were unable to score again, opening the way for the York rally.

 Drew Mendoza’s third hit of the evening, a single to center, opened the sixth off Lancaster starter Brandyn Sittinger.  Stokes followed with his blast to left center to cut the lead to 6-4. 

 Sittinger preserved the lead for the remainder of the sixth inning, but the bullpen faltered in the seventh.  Bret Clarke (0-3) walked Tomo Otosaka on four pitches to start the inning.  Martin singled the runner to second, and Jacob Rhinesmith was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

 Manager Ross Peeples went to Jesus Liranzo.  A passed ball charged to Conley allowed Otosaka to cross the plate with York’s fifth run.  Nellie Rodriguez walked to refill the bags.  Liranzo struck out Mendoza, but Stokes drilled a liner out to the left field wall to score the tying and lead runs.

 J.T. Hintzen (3-3) threw a scoreless seventh to earn the win.  Victor Capellan survived a one-out double by Kelly Dugan in the ninth for his seventh save.

 Lancaster will send Brent Teller (2-2) to the hill on Wednesday night to square off against lefty Nick Raquet (4-3).  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, starting at 6:25.

 NOTES:  York retook first place in the division as Southern Maryland fell, 5-0, at Gastonia…Lancaster dropped to 4-11 in one-run games…Hoover had his first three-hit game of the season…Cordero had his fourth game with three or more…For the first time in the last eight games, the Barnstormers failed to score seven runs, but they have scored five or more in 10 straight…The club is hitting .323 on the current road trip…Carpenter has 14 RBI in his last nine games…Cordero has a seven-game hitting streak but failed to score for the first time in 10 games…Robinson also has a seven-game hitting streak…Melvin Mercedes lost a six-game streak.

Lexington 9, Staten Island 7

LEXINGTON, Ky. - In a high-scoring showdown, the Lexington Counter Clocks outlasted the Staten Island FerryHawks with a final score of 9-7. The game was a true offensive spectacle, featuring an impressive display of power hitting from both teams.

Staten Island got off to a quick start, with Ricardo Cespedes launching a solo home run in the opening at bat. They extended their lead in the second inning with a two-run home run from Garrett Kueber, followed up by another two-run home run from Luis Castro in the third.

In the bottom of the third Lexington began to storm back, putting themselves into prime position with a three-run home run from Logan Brown, though still behind 5-4.

Lexington's bats remained relentless in the fourth inning, erupting for four runs. Encarnacion's two-run bomb and Brown's solo shot immediately after propelled their team into a comfortable lead. From there, the game settled down slightly into a comfortable affair.

In the eighth inning, Staten Island's pitcher Pazos encountered a rough outing, hitting Dawson and Owings. The taxing outing forced Pazos out of the game, making way for Santana. Seizing the opportunity, Lexington tacked on another run to extend their advantage. Despite the best efforts of Staten Island's pitching staff, they couldn't contain Lexington's formidable offense.

Defensively, Staten Island faced some challenges, with Aguilar committing two errors and Pazos dropping a foul ball. In contrast, Lexington's defense stood tall throughout the game, executing a crucial double play and displaying exceptional teamwork.

Notable performances came from Lexington's Dawson, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, and Encarnacion, who contributed three hits, including a double and a home run, while driving in three runs. Brown showcased his power with a pair of home runs, collecting two hits and four RBIs.

For Staten Island, Cespedes stood out with his home run and four RBIs. Krause and Castro also made significant contributions, both launching home runs and driving in two runs each.

Pitching-wise, Henzman of Lexington stole the show, striking out three batters in two flawless innings to secure the save. Capuano of Staten Island endured a rough outing, surrendering eight runs in four innings.

The game was a thrilling spectacle, as both teams combined for six home runs, treating fans to a display of offensive firepower. It was an entertaining affair from start to finish, with the outcome uncertain until the final out.