Long Island 13, York 11

(York, Pa., June 17, 2023) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the York Revolution 13-11 on Saturday evening in the second of a three-game Father’s Day weekend series at WellSpan Park. The victory for Long Island was their 1,581^st in franchise history, the most victories by any franchise in the Atlantic League’s 25-year history. 

The Ducks took a 2-0 lead against Revolution starter Tom Sutera four batters into the ballgame thanks to a two-home run off the bat of Sam Travis. York cut the Long Island lead in half at 2-1 in the bottom of the frame against starting pitcher Robert Stock thanks to a sacrifice fly produced by Richard Urena that plated Trent Giambrone. The Flock added two more runs in the second for a 4-1 cushion highlighted by an RBI base knock from Chance Sisco that scored Brian Goodwin. 

The visitors scored four times in the third for an 8-1 cushion on an RBI two-base hit by Alex Dickerson, a run-scoring single from Goodwin, a sacrifice fly by Joe DeCarlo, and a solo home run from Sisco. Long Island made it 10-1 in their favor in the fourth as Ruben Tejada launched a two-run tater for his first big fly in a Ducks uniform. 

Sisco was at it again in the fifth as he blasted his second solo home run in as many at bats to put Long Island ahead 11-1. The designated hitter’s night to remember continued in the seventh as the left-hander belted a two-run home run to left center field to extend the Flock’s advantage to 13-2 as Sisco joined Ray Navarrete (June 8, 2008 vs, Newark) and Dustin Woodcock (July 13, 2022) as the only players in Long Island Ducks franchise history to hit three home runs in a single ballgame. 

Stock (1-0) was victorious in his Atlantic League debut, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings on the mound, walking five and striking out three. Sutera (3-3) was tagged with the loss, surrendering 11 runs on 13 hits (four home runs) in five innings pitched, walking and striking out one. 

Sisco was the offensive star with four hits, five RBI’s three runs scored and a walk as Long Island tallied a season-high five roundtrippers en route to the victory. 

The Ducks and Revolution wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at WellSpan Park. Fans can follow all the action live on Flo Baseball by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Scott Harkin (0-1, 34.71) gets the nod for the Flock against York righty Pedro Vasquez (2-0, 5.00).

Frederick 6, Lexington 4

In a highly anticipated clash at Counter Clocks Field, the Frederick Baseball Club showcased their resilience and determination, outlasting the Counter Clocks in a thrilling 6-4 victory. Both teams engaged in a tightly contested battle, providing fans with an intense and captivating display of baseball.

From the outset, it was evident that pitching would play a significant role in this matchup. Dustin Beggs took the mound for the Frederick Baseball Club, exhibiting his prowess and keeping the Counter Clocks' offense in check during the early innings. However, it was the Counter Clocks who struck first blood when Ronnie Dawson hammered a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the first, giving his team an initial 1-0 advantage.

The game evolved into a pitching duel, with both Merandy Gonzalez of the Counter Clocks and Beggs delivering exceptional performances, baffling opposing hitters and leaving them struggling to find success at the plate.

As the game progressed, the Counter Clocks managed to extend their lead in the fourth inning. JC Encarnacion's double was followed by a sacrifice fly from Hector Roa, pushing the home team's advantage to 2-0.

However, the Frederick Baseball Club refused to be deterred and mounted a comeback in the sixth inning. Raudy Read kick-started the rally with a double, and Craig Dedelow's subsequent single brought him home. Kole Cottam and Moises Sierra continued the offensive onslaught, delivering crucial hits and propelling their team to a narrow 3-2 lead by the end of the inning.

Not to be outdone, the Counter Clocks retaliated in the bottom half of the sixth. Dawson, displaying his power once again, launched a two-run home run, reclaiming the lead for his team and electrifying the home crowd. The score now stood at 4-3 in favor of the Counter Clocks.

As the tension mounted, both teams' pitchers and defenses locked down, preventing any further scoring opportunities. Jack Weinberger for the Frederick Baseball Club and Raymells Rosa for the Counter Clocks exhibited their mettle on the mound, refusing to yield to the opposing hitters.

With the game on the line in the top of the ninth inning, the Frederick Baseball Club's offense sparked to life. Pinch hitter Leobaldo Cabrera made an immediate impact, smashing a game-tying solo home run. Luke Becker and Starlin Castro followed suit, reaching base, and then Jose Marmolejos delivered a clutch two-run homer, propelling the Frederick Baseball Club to a crucial 6-4 lead.

In a last-ditch effort, the Counter Clocks aimed to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Hector Roa drew a walk, and Josue Huma added a double, putting the tying runs in scoring position. However, the Frederick Baseball Club's closer, Zac Rosscup, remained unflappable under pressure, shutting down the Counter Clocks' rally and securing the hard-earned victory.

This enthralling contest highlighted the resilience and determination of both teams, with standout performances from players on all fronts. The Frederick Baseball Club's late-game heroics and solid pitching ultimately proved to be the difference-maker, propelling them to a well-deserved win.

With this triumph, the Frederick Baseball Club solidified their position in the standings, while the Counter Clocks will regroup and seek to bounce back in their next outing. The intense battle between these two teams demonstrated the captivating and unpredictable nature of baseball, leaving fans eagerly awaiting their next encounter.

Charleston 5, Lancaster 4

The Charleston and Lancaster bullpens combined to throw one of the greatest games in Atlantic League history on Saturday evening.

Nine relievers threw nine innings of one hit baseball with just two walks and 14 strikeouts.  Two wild pitches, however, led to Lancaster’s undoing as the visiting Dirty Birds eked out a 5-4, 11-inning win at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

The stellar relief work even included an immaculate inning as Lancaster’s Jesus Liranzo followed a called strike with eight swinging strikes against the Dirty Birds in the top of the eighth.  The hard throwing right-hander topped out at 99.8 MPH in his one inning of work.

Bret Clarke (0-4) got the side in order in the top of the 10^th inning, setting the Barnstormers up to walk off in the bottom of the inning.  A 1-2 pitch to Jake Hoover bounced to the backstop, sending Marshall Rich to third with none out.  Jacob Bosiokovic (1-3) rallied to strike out Hoover, then also got Yeison Coca and Melvin Mercedes in succession to send the game to the 11^th.

Clarke returned to the hill and struck out Diego Goris to start the 11^th.  The right-hander also got ahead of Clayton Mehlbauer but threw a wild pitch in the process of walking the Charleston right fielder.  Mehlbauer stole second before Clarke fanned catcher Zachary Bridges for the second out of the inning.

Zach Warren took over and got two quick strikes on Jose Bermudez.  The center fielder took two pitches below the knees, and a third bounced away from Marshall Rich allowing the Justin O’Connor to sprint home with the deciding run.

Former Lancaster reliever Ricardo Gomez retired Andretty Cordero, Kelly Dugan and Ariel Sandoval in succession to pin the tying run at second.  Gomez earned his sixth save of the season.

Lancaster had taken a 3-0 lead off Charleston ace Danny Wirchansky in the bottom of the first.  Melvin Mercedes singled into center, took second on a ground out and scored when Kelly Dugan laced a base hit into right.  Sandoval doubled Dugan to third.  A second run scored on a ground out by Wilson Garcia, and a Wirchansky wild pitch brought home Sandoval with a third.

Charleston picked up an unearned run in the second, and O’Connor reached the right field deck for a tying homer in the third.  A Bermudez single chopped under the glove of a charging Coca gave the Dirty Birds a 4-3 lead in the fourth.

Singles by Joseph Carpenter and Coca around a Marshall Rich bunt produced a tying run in the seventh.

Lancaster will send right-hander Brandyn Sittinger (2-3) to the mound against right-hander Colt Webb (1-0) Sunday at 1:00.  The game will be streamed on FloBaseball and carried live on Blue Ridge 11.

NOTES:  The loss was Lancaster’s sixth straight and the 12^th one-run loss of the season…Coca has hit safely in 10 straight…With the four runs off Wirchansky, the Lancaster hitters kept teammate Jared Lakind in the league ERA lead at 1.90…Tyler LaPorte once again scored as the designated runner after replacing Carpenter in the seventh…Jalen Miller picked up only the third hit by a right-handed batter off Andrew Lee, who pitched the ninth…RHH are 3-for-44 against Lee.

High Point 6, Southern Maryland 3

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point Rockers defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6-3, in game two of a three game series at Truist Point on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,240. Matt Solter (W, 2-1) had an incredible outing on the mound tonight. Solter retired the first 11 men he faced, threw only 77 pitches and was able to shut out the Blue Crabs for seven innings. He gave up five hits, and one walk, while striking out three.

The Rockers posted their 30^th win of the season at the earliest point in club history. The Rockers are now 30-15, having reached the 30-win mark in their 45^th game. The previous best had been 30 wins in 53 games. The Rockers remain 1.5 games behind South Division leading Gastonia which defeated Staten Island on Saturday night to move to 31-13.

Neil Uskali (L, 1-2), a former Rocker, was the starting pitcher for the Blue Crabs. He gave up five runs on seven hits with one strikeout in his five innings of work.

The Rockers jumped out with a 1-0 lead in the first. Shed Long, Jr. reached with a lead-off walk and stole second base to move into scoring position. Zander Wiel then hit a line drive single to center to score Long, Jr.

D.J. Burt doubled to left field and moved to third on a wild pitch. Michael Russell sent an RBI double to center to score Burt and put the Rockers up 2-0 at the bottom of the third.

High Point continued to execute offensively to score three more runs in the fifth. The first run of the inning was scored by a Dai-Kang Yang double, a John Daly bunt single and an RBI single from Long. Jr. Daly was able to score the second run of the inning off a passed ball that also resulted in a Ryan Grotjohn walk. Grotjohn stole second base, his tenth of the season, followed by a Wiel RBI double to put the Rockers up 5-0.

Southern Maryland scored its first run of the game in the top of the seventh. Braxton Lee hit a triple to center and was followed up by a single from K.C. Hobson to make the score 5-1.

The Rockers pushed across another run in the seventh off Blue Crabs reliever Josh Martin. Russell cranked a double to center field and was moved to third by a groundout from Grotjohn. Russell then scored on a wild pitch by Martin to extend the Rockers lead to 6-1.

A.J. Cole came in to pitch for the Rockers in the eighth. The Blue Crabs were able to score a run off him with a solo home run from Isaias Quiroz.

In their last at-bat, the Blue Crabs scored once in the ninth. Hobson hit a ground-rule double to center field and was followed by Alex Crosby’s single up the middle to make the score 6-3.

High Point and Southern Maryland will conclude the series on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at Truist Point for a special Father’s Day game. The game will be available on FloBaseball.com and also on the Mixlr app.

Gastonia 7, Staten Island 5

James Pazos came on in relief of Ryan Hartman in the sixth inning.

Gastonia had just taken a 4-2 lead after a Curtis Terry RBI double off the southpaw Hartman.

The first batter Pazos faced was Luis Curbelo, with Terry on second.

Curbelo blasted a ball well over the left-field wall, and before it landed he chucked his bat over-handed across home plate and pulled off an extremely entertaining pimp job.

Once the ball fell into the parking lot after being hit 106 miles-per-hour by Curbelo, Gastonia had a commanding 6-2 lead.

The Honey Hunters ended up beating Staten Island 7-5 on Saturday night, taking the first two games of the series.

Curbelo’s homer was his third long ball in the last five games, and it was part of a four-run sixth frame for Gastonia.

He played third base on Saturday, and got some practice throwing across the diamond when he launched his bat from the grass on the side of the lefty batters box to the grass on the opposite side of home plate.

“I guess I had a little Tim Anderson moment for myself,” Curbelo said. “I didn’t like my called strike three in my last at-bat, and I was kinda frustrated at that ‘cause I’ve been working on my strikeouts and keeping them low… So I got a good pitch to handle, and I just let myself have a moment and… kind of open up the game. So that felt really good.”

Gastonia manager Goose Gozzo had no issue with Curbelo’s bat toss, recognizing that it was more about himself than it was about sending a message to Staten Island.

“As far as showing emotion after a home run like that, these guys battle every single day,” Gozzo said. “I don’t think he was doing it to show anybody up, I think he was just doing it because he was that excited.”

The Honey Hunters signed a couple of bats for the series, and both players made their mark on Saturday’s game.

Kevin Santa played shortstop and Alexis Olmeda caught in the contest.

Santa doubled to lead off the fourth, and was plated by Zach Jarrett’s two-bagger to score the first run of the game for Gastonia.

Jarrett then scored on Scott Manea’s go-ahead two-run homer to make it 3-2.

Olmeda capped off the four-run sixth with an RBI triple, scoring Steven Sensley.

Both Santa and Olmeda played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association for the past couple years, and now are back as teammates with Gastonia.

Zach Mort started for the Honey Hunters, and he had a solid outing.

The righty went five innings, allowing two runs, walking three and striking out six. He also allowed six stolen bases by the FerryHawks on Saturday.

Although it was Olmeda’s first time behind the plate for the team, Gozzo stressed that the stolen bases weren’t his fault. He credits them to Mort’s delivery.

“[Mort’s] a high leg-kick guy,” Gozzo said. “We didn’t give the catcher much of a chance to throw anybody out. Olmeda’s got a good arm. He seems to be releasing the ball pretty well. The jump was on the high leg-kick more than it was the catcher.”

After Mort allowed a leadoff walk in the sixth, David Richardson came in the game.

He threw a wild pitch, allowing Jack Elliott to advance from first all the way to third.

Richardson then retired the next three hitters, with Elliott stranded 90 feet away.

He also came out for the seventh, striking out the side – all on his filthy curveball.

Nick Wells entered in the ninth with Gastonia up 7-3. The lefty gave up four straight singles to start the frame, with a couple of them being grounders on the infield that were placed perfectly.

Wells got three more ground balls in the inning.

Unlike previously, this time they were right at infielders.

Santa made the first out from short.

Elliott then grounded it to Curbelo at third, who made the smart decision to come home for the tag play. If he went to first to get the easy out, it would make it a 7-6 game with the tying run on third. Instead, he kept the game 7-5 and the tying run was on first.

Roldani Baldwin then bounced it back to the mound, and Wells flipped it to Olmeda who applied the tag to end the game.

Gastonia will attempt to sweep Staten Island on Sunday at 3:35 p.m.