Gastonia 3, Southern Maryland 2 (10 innings)

For the second consecutive game, Gastonia walked off against Southern Maryland in extra innings with Luis Curbelo scoring from second base.

In each contest, a grounder into center field was the game-winning hit.

On Saturday, Braxton Davidson was the hero.

On Sunday, Pedro Gonzalez’s single sent the crowd at CaroMont Health Park home happy.

Gonzalez’s knock completed a Honey Hunters comeback victory over the Blue Crabs, with Gastonia winning 3-2 in 10.

The Gastonia offense was practically lifeless through eight frames off Southern Maryland starter Ian Kahaloa.

The right-hander tossed eight innings of one-run ball – the lone run being a Davidson solo shot in the sixth.

Davidson hit his seventh bomb of the season, which was his fifth hit of the series against the Blue Crabs. It was a 419-foot long ball the other way to left-center, and it made it a 2-1 Gastonia deficit.

Southern Maryland got the pair of runs courtesy of Khalil Lee, who scored each of them.

Lee singled, stole second and scored on K.C. Hobson’s RBI ground-rule double in the first.

He then hit a ball 408 feet to deep right field in the third. The long solo homer made it 2-0 Crabs.

Those were the only two runs the Gastonia pitching staff allowed on Sunday.

Zack Godley got the start, and he put on a tremendous performance. The righty allowed two runs in six innings, not walking a batter and striking out 10. He retired the last eight hitters he faced.

Godley now has 78 strikeouts recorded in 12 starts, which is more than six punch-outs per outing. He leads all Atlantic League pitchers in strikeouts.

He handed the ball off to a Gastonia bullpen that combined for four scoreless innings.

Todd Van Steensel, Sam Freeman and Sal Romano pitched innings seven through nine, and they kept their offense in the game, as it was still a 2-1 ball game.

The Honey Hunters had the top of the order come to the plate in the ninth, mustering up just one run on three hits heading into the frame.

They were facing new pitcher Endrys Briceno, as Kahaloa came out of the game after his dominant 97-pitch outing.

Cole Freeman led things off with a bloop single into right-center. He advanced to second on a ground ball and then stole third after getting a great jump on Briceno.

Carlos Franco then delivered by grounding a ball through the left side of the infield, plating Freeman to tie the game.

After loading the bases but failing to score the winning run, the two teams were going to extras for the second straight day.

Bryan Blanton came on for Gastonia, and he looked for a bounce-back appearance. Blanton suffered his first blown save of the season on Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader.

Sunday was a different story.

Blanton retired the 2-3-4 hitters in Southern Maryland’s order, leaving the ghost runner on base and setting up the offense with a golden opportunity to end the game.

Curbelo started on second, and Davidson came to the plate, who played hero the night prior.

Davidson struck out swinging, failing to advance the runner to third.

That brought up Gonzalez, who came into the game hitting .221 and was the No. 9 hitter.

Gonzalez was 0-for-3 on Sunday heading into the inning.

And he picked a perfect time to get his first hit.

Gonzalez grounded it right up the middle, which allowed Curbelo to score the winning run and cap off the comeback win. The righty has become accustomed to how he’s pitched, so he used that to his advantage.

“The way everybody pitches me is like slider, slider, offspeed,” Gonzalez said. “So I was just trying to stay either to the opposite side of the field or towards the middle. I missed the first slider and I knew I was right on it, so I had a feeling he would try to beat me with a fastball and I got it and was able to hit it.”

Gonzalez’s hit gave Gastonia a 41-18 record, which keeps the Honey Hunters a game and a half up on High Point for first place in the South.

Gastonia has four games left until the end of the first half of the season, which includes a game against the Rockers on July 7.

But before the High Point series, Gastonia will travel to Frederick, Maryland to take on the Spire City Ghost Hounds for three games.

The first of the three-game set is on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

High Point 8,  York 5
HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point took command of its series with the York Revolution, as the Rockers won their second straight game with an 8-5 victory at Truist Point on Sunday afternoon.

While the Rockers won their 39^th game of the first half and improved to 39-19, High Point did not have any defense for the Gastonia Honey Hunters who scored a walk-off win over Southern Maryland for the second straight day. Gastonia continues to hold onto first place in the Atlantic League’s South Division with a 41-18 record and hold a 1.5 game lead over the Rockers with five games remaining.

The Rockers sent Jheyson Manzueta to the mound for his second start of the season and the veteran right hander got off to a shaky start. Trent Giambrone led off the game with a homer and Manzueta followed by walking Jacob Rhinesmith and hitting Troy Stokes, Jr. with a pitch. Trey Martin singled to score Rhinesmith for the second run of the inning before Manzueta was able to pitch himself out of the jam.

“Manzueta limited the damage in the first inning and that’s just what we needed him to do,” said Rockers manager Jamie Keefe.  “After the second inning, I just made him pitch from the stretch.  It was really hot out and if you can limit your movement, that’s what we tried to do. He grinded through it and that was good.”

The Rockers cut their defcit to 2-1 as Shed Long, Jr. led off the bottom of the first with a sharp single to left before York starter Carlos Espinal walked Michael Russell. Each runner advanced on a stolen base which led to Daikan Yoh’s sacrifice fly to center to score Long, Jr.  The Rockers scored three more runs in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Ben Aklinski and Brian Parreira each drew a walk and then advanced on a stolen base. Yang delivered a sac fly to tie the game ahead of RBI singles from Long, Jr. and Zander Wiel.

Aklinski put the Rockers up 5-2 in the third with a solo homer, his eighth of the year.

York inched closer with single runs in the sixth and seventh. Richard Urena drew a walk from reliever Austin Ross in the sixth and scored on an RBI single by Ryan January. In the seventh, Troy Stokes, Jr. singled to right and the ball took a crazy spin, getting past rightfielder Michael Martinez, allowing Stokes, Jr. to move to second. He then scored on an RBI single from Trey Martin.

Holding a slim 5-4 advantage in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Grotjohn coaxed a lead-off walk from York reliever Tasker Strobel and the Revs’ shortstop, Giambrone, misplayed a grounder from Aklinski to put two aboard with nobody out. Parreira then smacked a three-run homer to left to put the Rockers back in front 8-4.

For Parreira, it’s been an exciting month. He hit a three-run homer vs. So. Maryland on June 25 that helped sink the Blue Crabs 6-4. His homer on Sunday increased the Rockers’ lead from a nail-biting one run advantage for a far more comfortable four-run gap.

“Parreira had a heckuva day,” said Keefe. “Not only is he doing good stuff offensively, but he’s probably raised his batting average 50 or 60 points over the last two weeks with all the work he’s doing with (hitting coach) George (Greer). Defensively, he’s been awesome. He’s really grabbed onto this job and taken off with it.”

York’s Nellie Rodriguez hit a solo homer leading off the eighth but the Revs were finished scoring for the day. A.J. Cole allowed one hit in the ninth and struck out one to earn his first save of the season.

The Rockers have five games remaining in the first half and will have the opportunity to shave a half-game off Gastonia’s lead on Monday as the Honey Hunters are idle.

The fourth and final game of the series will be played on Monday, July 3 at 6:35 at Truist Point. Following the game, the Rockers will hold their annual fireworks extravaganza. The game will be streamed live on FLO Baseball and also available on the Mixlr App.

Charleston 7, Lancaster 1

There was no last ditch rally for the Lancaster Barnstormers on Sunday.

Four Charleston pitchers combined on a four-hitter while striking out 12, as the Dirty Birds topped the Lancaster Barnstormers, 7-1, in the third game of a four-game holiday weekend series at GoMart Ballpark.

The loss ended a three-game streak for the Barnstormers in which they captured each in the final at bat.

Derrick Adams (4-3) tossed three-hit shutout baseball for the first six innings, allowing only three singles while fanning five.  Cristofer Ogando, Ricardo Gomez and Ryan Clark pitched a scoreless inning apiece.  Lancaster picked up only a scratch single by Joseph Carpenter in the seventh.  Gomez walked the bases loaded in the eighth.

The Barnstormers picked up an unearned run in the first.  Ariel Sandoval singled to left and scored when Dwight Smith, Jr. dropped a fly ball to left off the bat of Wilson Garcia.

Yeison Coca and Trace Loehr opened the second with singles, but Adams wiggled out of the threat and would go on to retire the last 14 batters he faced.

Dominic DiSabatino (3-5) took a shutout into the bottom of the fourth when Charleston tied the game on a two-out RBI single to right by Jose Bermudez. 

The game got away from Lancaster in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Yefri Perez led off with a single to left center.  DiSabatino got the first out on a deep fly to left by Clayton Mehlbauer.  DiSabatino was then charged with a balk on a disengagement violation.  Smith hit a topper toward short for an infield single, and Perez scored the lead run when Jake Hoover’s high throw ticked off the glove of first baseman Andretty Cordero.  Telvin Nash flied to center for the second out.  DiSabatino never got the third one.  Bobby Bradley singled off Hoover’s glove, sending Smith to third.  Jalen Miller doubled in the second run of the inning with a drive into the left field corner.  Luis Roman followed with a three-run homer for a 6-1 edge.  DiSabatino came out after an infield single by Bermudez, turning the game over to lefty Brian Marconi.

Lancaster and Charleston will meet for the fourth game of the series Monday evening at 6:35.  Lancaster will send Nile Ball (2-3) to the mound against the Charleston pitching coach, lefty Joe Testa (2-2).  Fans may tune into the game on FloBaseball, beginning at 6:30.

NOTES:  Wilson Garcia’s hitting streak ended at 13 games…He went 0-for-2 but was removed from the game when DiSabatino came out…Sandoval was 1-for-3 with a walk, dropping his average to .397…Lancaster leads the season series, 5-4.

Staten Island 11, Long Island 5

(Central Islip, N.Y., July 2, 2023) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Staten Island FerryHawks 11-5 on Sunday night in the third game of a four-game series at Fairfield Properties Ballpark.

Staten Island was led offensively by Roldani Baldwin, who totaled three hits, including a home run. He drove in four runs while scoring twice. Angel Aguilar hit a pair of homers, driving in two runs while scoring three. Matt Winaker also went deep for the FerryHawks, finishing with three RBIs and two runs. 

Long Island plated single runs in the seventh and eighth on Joe DeCarlo’s RBI single to center and Sam Travis’ sac fly to right. Tzu-Wei Lin added a three-run home run to right in the ninth. 

FerryHawks starter Jesse Remington (2-2) earned the win, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Harkin (1-3) took the loss, conceding eight runs on 11 hits over five innings while striking out eight. 

Lin led the Flock with two hits, three RBIs and two runs. Ruben Tejada, Wilson Ramos and Brantley Bell each added two hits and a run. 

The Ducks and FerryHawks wrap up their four-game series on Monday 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). Following the game, all fans in attendance will be treated to a Fireworks Spectacular, presented by Catholic Health. It’s also Skin Cancer Awareness Night at the ballpark, presented by Good Samaritan University Hospital. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Cooler Bags. Left-hander Stephen Tarpley (3-2, 3.61) gets the ball for the Ducks against FerryHawks southpaw Ryan Hartman (0-4, 6.45). 

Tickets for the game, and all Ducks games, are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE. Those unable to make the game can follow all the action live on Flo Baseball by CLICKING HERE.

Spire City at Lexington, postponed (Makeup on July 3)