Spire City 7, High Point 6
FREDERICK, MD – Leobaldo Cabrera played hero for the Ghost Hounds on Sunday, tying the game with a home run in the seventh, and putting them ahead with a single in the eighth. Spire City avoided the sweep at the hands of the High Point Rockers with a 7-6 win on Sunday.

The story of the game early was High Point’s Ben Aklinski. The outfielder opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning.

Steven Brault knocked the Ghost Hounds first run of the game with a solo home run, cutting the deficit in half.

In the third inning, it was again Aklinski, who knocked in another run with a double. Two batters later, Ryan Grotjohn drove a two-run home run of his own, putting the Rockers up 5-1. It was the sixth home run that Grotjohn has hit against Spire City this season.

The Ghost Hounds got a pair back in the bottom of the third on a pair of solo home runs by Osvaldo Abreu and Craig Dedelow. Through three, the Ghost Hounds had three hits, all of which were solo homers.

Chris Shaw then tied the game in the fourth with a two-run single.

Aklinski struck again in the fifth with a solo home run. With the Rockers now up 6-5, Aklinski had four of the RBIs.

Leobaldo Cabrera led off the bottom of the seventh with a game tying homer to left field. In the eighth, Cabrera singled in Osvaldo Abreu, who had doubled earlier in the inning, to put Spire City up by one.

Dovydas Neverauskas pitched a scoreless ninth to record his fifth save, as the Ghost Hounds avoided the sweep with a 7-6 win.

Notes:

-      Craig Dedelow stole his 30^th base, making him the league’s first on the season to reach the 20 HR/30 SB mark. Last Sunday, he had joined Gastonia’s Zach Jarrett in the 20/20 club.

-      The Ghost Hounds bullpen did not allow a hit across the final four innings. Nate Peden, Victor Capellan, Max Povse, and Dovydas Neverauskas combined to blank the Rockers after the fifth.

Long Island 7, Staten Island 3

(Staten Island, N.Y., Aug. 27, 2023) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game weekend series at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.

Staten Island took a 1-0 lead versus Long Island starting pitcher Robert Stock in the bottom half of the first inning courtesy of an RBI single off the bat of Chris Brito that plated Justin Williams. The FerryHawks made it 3-0 in their favor in the third frame as Brito was at it again driving in Angel Aguilar with a run-scoring two-base hit, and two batters later Roldani Baldwin brought in Brito with a two-out single to the opposite field in right.

The Ducks got to within 3-1 in the fourth against FerryHawks starter Christian Capuano when designated pinch-runner Ernie Geraci scored all the way from first base with two men down on an error committed by Luis Castro in right off a fly ball hit by Carlos Castro. The Flock cut the two-run deficit in half in the sixth to get to within 3-2 thanks to an Alejandro De Aza RBI double to the wall in left center field that plated Scott Kelly after he led off the inning with a walk.

Down a run in the ninth, the stage was set for a dramatic finish. With Pedro Payano on in relief, Sam Travis drew a leadoff walk and Geraci came on again as the designated pinch runner. Carlos Castro stepped into the batter’s box as the lead run, and the Ducks first baseman blasted a laser beam of a 391 foot, go-ahead two-run home run over the left field fence and into the trees. Long Island would add three more runs on a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Jonathan Guzman and back-to-back RBI base knocks from Kelly and De Aza as the Flock were able to complete the sweep of their North Division and in-state rival, notching their 26^th come-from behind victory in the process.

Both starters tallied no-decisions in the contest as Stock collected his eighth quality start of the season, allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings pitched, walking one and striking out seven, while Capuano gave up just an unearned run on one hit in four innings pitched, walking one while striking out a pair of batters before exiting the game due to an undisclosed injury. Al Alburquerque (6-1) picked up the win in relief with a scoreless inning pitched on one hit allowed along with a walk and two strikeouts, while Payano (1-3) was tagged with the loss after blowing his first save in eight opportunities on the campaign, surrendering five runs on four hits (one home run) in one inning on the mound, walking and striking out one.

Kelly had three hits in the winning effort along with an RBI, run scored, and a walk.

The Ducks continue their road trip on Tuesday night when they open a four-game series against the York Revolution. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at WellSpan Park. Fans can follow the action live on Flo Baseball by CLICKING HERE. Left-hander Ian Clarkin (2-3, 5.28) gets the start for Long Island against a York starter to be determined.

Charleston 7, York 5

(August 27th, 2023 – York, Pa.):  The York Revolution were denied a weekend sweep, dropping Sunday’s finale to the Charleston Dirty Birds, 7-5 at WellSpan Park.

Pedro Vasquez got the start against opposing pitcher Mikey York as the Revs looked for a third straight win and fourth in the last five.

York trailed right away in the first inning after Isaias Tejeda launched a two-out, three-run homer over the Arch Nemesis in left, spotting Charleston a 3-0 advantage.

The Revs answered with a run on a Trey Martin RBI single roped to left field, cutting the deficit to 3-1 after one.

Vasquez surrendered two more runs in the second as back-to-back doubles by Justin O’Conner and Yovan Gonzalez (RBI) produced a run and a bases loaded double play plated the other tally as the Dirty Birds built a 5-1 lead.

The Revs responded in their half again. Nellie Rodriguez started the inning with a walk and Jhon Nunez whacked a two-run homer to right field, making it a 5-3 ballgame on his seventh of the year. Alexis Pantoja and Trent Giambrone followed with singles, and after Giambrone stole second, a wild pitch brought home Pantoja to pull the Revs within a run. With Giambrone at third and the infield in, Tomo Otosaka hit a line drive single to left center field to tie the game at 5-5.

It remained that way until the fifth when Vasquez was touched for a two-out rally, capped by an RBI single to left by Diego Goris as Charleston took a 6-5 lead.

Vasquez (7-3) gave up six runs in five innings suffering the loss.

Zach Neff tossed a scoreless sixth inning for the Revs, but Charleston plated an insurance run against Ben Dum in the seventh as Dwight Smith Jr. socked a leadoff triple to left center that was nearly hauled in at the wall by Troy Stokes Jr. That set up an RBI ground out to second by Bobby Bradley making it a 7-5 Charleston lead.

Will Carter and Will McAffer both threw scoreless innings for the Revs in the eighth and ninth, respectively, but the Revs were held without a hit by four Charleston relievers and managed only one hit after the third inning, being held scoreless over the final seven frames.

The homestand continues Tuesday evening when the Revs host the Long Island Ducks at 6:30 p.m.  It is Time Travel Tuesday (Steampunk) and Silver Sluggers presented by WellSpan Sports Medicine. Tickets are on sale at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS, and in-person at the Shipley Energy Ticket Office.

Gastonia 5, Lancaster 4

Eric De La Rosa took Mike Adams’ first pitch over the right field wall to break a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth and send the Gastonia Honey Hunters to the 5-4 win Sunday afternoon at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Fortunately for the Barnstormers, all of their closest competitors in the North Division race also lost, keeping the Barnstormers one game ahead of Southern Maryland, three up on Staten Island and 3 ½ ahead of York with three weeks left in the season.

De La Rosa, who remained in the game after arguing a pickoff at first base in the sixth, greeted Adams (3-4) with the blast to right center, the first run scored in the game since the fourth inning.  Adams retired the side in order afterward.

Jack Conley picked up a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, but the Barnstormers were unable to push the game any further off Graham Spraker, who earned his second save.

Steven Moya launched a leadoff homer in the second off Nile Ball.  The Barnstormers immediately tied the game as designated runner Chris Proctor raced home behind Trayvon Robinson’s tap out in front of the plate.

Former Lancaster shortstop keyed a two-run Gastonia third.  Alexis Olmeda led off with a single to left and moved up on Hoover’s drive off the boards in left center.  Both runners scored on outs for a 3-1 lead.  A double by Moya off the top of the left center field wall started the fourth.  Two outs later, David Washington made it 4-1 with a double to the fence in right center.

Joseph Carpenter tagged a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the fourth.  Singles by Robinson and Conley put the tying rally in place, and Shawon Dunston, Jr. leveled the score with a sacrifice fly to center.

Sam Freeman (2-2) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win.

Lancaster will entertain Charleston on Tuesday.  Dominic DiSabatino (3-8) will make his first start since August 6.  He will be matched up against Dirty Birds right-hander Colt Webb.  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:   Andretty Cordero knocked out his 38^th double of the season into the right field corner in the third…Lancaster managed one hit in 3 2/3 innings off the Gastonia bullpen, a single to right by Carpenter in the eighth…Nile Ball and Garrett Granitz combined to pick three runners off first…Lancaster is 6-19 in one-run games, 3-10 at home.

Lexington 5, Southern Maryland 4

Lexington’s Aldenis Sanchez hit an inside-the-park home run and drove in a run with a sac fly to lead Lexington to a 5-4 win in the series finale at Southern Maryland. Lexington starter Aaron Ochsenbein won his second start of the week and improved to 9-5 on the season by allowing just two hits over six innings. Garrett Schilling earned his 17^th save of the season, putting him in a tie atop the league leaders in saves.

Ian Yetsko homered for Southern Maryland.