Kentucky 7, Gastonia 6

GASTONIA, N.C. - The Wild Health Genomes took the final game of the three-game series against the Gastonia Honey Hunters on Thursday night at Caromont Health Park.

Reilly Hovis got the ball for Gastonia, seeking win number five on the season against former Honey Hunter southpaw Robby Scott.

Gastonia would get rolling early in the game as Joseph Rosa homered down the left field line to give the Honey Hunters a 2-0 lead.

After Wild Health scored single runs in the second and third innings to even the score, Gastonia would go back on top, as Rayder Ascanio scored Zach Jarrett with an RBI double in the fourth to jump ahead 3-2.

In the fifth inning, Wild Health pushed across four runs to take their first lead of the game at 6-3. The big blow in the frame was a three-run home run off the bat of Carlos Castro, his fifth long ball of the season.

Joseph Rosa launched his second homer of the game to draw Gastonia to 6-4 in the fifth inning off Scott. The blast was his eleventh of the season, reclaiming the team lead.

In the sixth, Luis Roman would break through with a two-run opposite field shot to left to pull Gastonia even at 6-6.

Hovis and Scott would both have to settle with no-decisions on the night, handing the game over to their respective bullpens.

In the seventh, Wild Health would take the lead for good, as Chris Shaw drove home Cleuluis Rondon on a single to center against Gastonia reliever Quintin Torres-Costa.

Gastonia would forge a rally in the ninth, getting the potential winning run on base, but the effort was foiled, as Wild Health closer Tim Peterson coaxed a fly ball out of Rayder Ascanio to end the threat and the game.

Luis Guzman(3-1) earned the win for Wild Health(30-30) while Torres-Costa, who surrendered the unearned run in the seventh, absorbed the loss for Gastonia.

Gastonia (41-20) travels to Lexington for a three-game weekend series against the Legends, before returning to Caromont Health Park for a staggered seven game set with the High Point Rockers that will serve as the opening of the South Division´s second half.

Lexington 6, Lancaster 3

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Jeff Thompson and the Lexington bullpen escaped with 11 walks on Thursday evening as the Legends defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers, 6-3, in the rubber game of a three-game series at Wild Health Field.

It was the final game of a 12-game road trip on which the Barnstormers finished 4-8.

Thompson (2-6) walked the first three batters he faced on the night but got Andretty Cordero to pop up to shortstop on a 1-0 pitch for the first out.  A walk to Colton Shaver forced home a run, and the Barnstormers picked up a second when Anderson Feliz grounded into a 4-6 force play, but the club did not collect a hit in the inning and finished the night with just four.

The Legends came out hot.  Boog Powell greeted Cameron Gann (4-5) with a perfect drag bunt single and took second on a wild pitch.  Tillman Pugh laced a ground rule double down the right field line for the first run, and he came home when Phil Ervin singled to right center.  Ervin took third on a fly out to right by Isaias Tejeda and beat a throw home from Cordero on Montrell Marshall’s grounder to first.

Lancaster tied the game in the second.  Shawon Dunston, Jr. drew his second walk of the night, stole second and came home on a single behind second base by Melvin Mercedes.

That tie did not last long.  Gann walked two in the bottom of the second, his third and fourth walks of the night.  With two outs, Ervin found the right field corner for a two-run double and a 5-3 lead.

After Gann retired six straight, Powell opened the fifth with a double off the wall in right center and scored the game’s final run when Pugh lined a single off the fence in right.

Thompson worked five innings on 109 pitches.  He allowed the four Lancaster singles while walking eight and striking out four.  The Barnstormers managed three walks off the bullpen, two against closer Austin Adams.  Adams got Cordero to ground into a 6-4 force to end the night.

The club heads home to play 20 of the next 26 at Clipper Magazine Stadium and all 26 in Pennsylvania.  This Friday thru Sunday, the team will don alternate Lebanon Ironmasters jerseys to take on the Staten Island Ferryhawks.  Lebanon will start RHP Erik Manoah (1-1) on Friday against RHP Nick Carrell (3-3) of the Ferryhawks.  Fans may tune into the Barnstormers YouTube channel or Froggy Valley 100.1, beginning at 6:25.

NOTES:  Cordero lost his 18-game hitting streak when playing a defensive position…Mercedes had two of the four singles…Kelly Dugan walked four times in the game while Dunston picked up three…Mercedes led the club on the road trip with 11 RBI…Scott Shuman made his first appearance in seven weeks, allowing two hits in a scoreless eighth inning.

Long Island 4, Staten Island 2

(Staten Island, N.Y., June 30, 2022) – The Long Island Ducks defeated the Staten Island FerryHawks 4-2 on Thursday night in the rubber game of a three-game midweek series from Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.

Staten Island jumped out in front 1-0 against Long Island starter Akeel Morris in the second inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andres Noriega that plated Ricardo Cespedes. The FerryHawks made it 2-0 in the third when Dilson Herrera scored from third on an error committed by Ducks shortstop Vladimir Frias off a ground ball hit by Angel Aguilar.

Long Island scored four times in the fifth versus FerryHawks starter Nick Carrell to take a 4-2 advantage. Joe DeCarlo’s bases loaded walk got the scoring started for the Flock which enabled Alejandro DeAza to cross the plate. Dustin Woodcock followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Sam Travis, who singled earlier in the frame. The Flock took the lead as Vladimir Frias drove in Rusney Castillo with an RBI single, and Phil Caulfield followed with a run-scoring double that plated DeCarlo.

Morris (4-4) picked up the victory, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings pitched, walking two and striking out six. Carrell (0-3) was tagged with the loss, surrendering four runs on six hits in five innings on the mound, walking four while striking out a pair. Nick Goody closed things out in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

De Aza, DeCarlo and Frias led the way offensively with two hits each.

Long Island returns home on Friday night to begin a three-game set with the York Revolution. 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). Right-hander Anderson DeLeon (3-1, 3.49) gets the start against Revolution righty Jorge Martinez (5-4, 3.11).

High Point 12, Charleston 0

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The High Point Rockers hit three home runs and starting pitcher Craig Stem threw seven shutout innings as the Rockers won their seventh straight game with a 12-0 win over Charleston on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park.

The seven-game winning streak is the second-longest this year for the Rockers as they won 10 straight between May 18 and June 2. The Rockers are now 37-27 on the season.

Stem and a pair of relievers held Charleston to just four hits on the night and only two Charleston base runners were able to get to second base over the first seven innings.

The Rockers pounded out 10 hits and received home runs from Zander Wiel, Logan Morrison and Tyler Ladendorf.

The Rockers staked Stem to three runs before he even took the mound for his first pitch. In the top of the first, Ben Aklinski drew a one-out walk and Jerry Downs was hit by a pitch by Dirty Bird starter Jordan Stephens. Wiel then unloaded his 15th home run of the year to give the Rockers a 3-0 lead.

With two outs in the third inning, Wiel walked and scored on Morrison’s seventh homer of the year for a 5-0 High Point advantage.

Downs walked to start the fifth inning and moved to third on a single by Wiel. Morrison’s sacrifice fly scored Downs to give the Rockers a 6-0 lead.  The Rockers doubled their lead to 12-0 with a six-run seventh inning.  Reliever Michael Gunn hit Aklinski with a pitch and was followed by a Downs RBI double. Later in the inning, Ladendorf would hit a three-run homer, his sixth of the year. After walks to Mike Gulino and Johnny Field, Aklinski ripped an RBI single to center to score Gulino.

Stem threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out four. William Kirwan, recently acquired by the Rockers after being released by Kentucky, came on in the eighth inning and allowed one hit and one walk. Joe Johnson threw a three-up, three-down ninth inning with a strikeout to close out the Dirty Birds.

The Rockers return home for a three-game Independence Day weekend series with North Division champion Southern Maryland. Game time for Friday’s series opener is set for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

York 13, Southern Maryland 0

June 30, 2022 – Waldorf, Md.):  The York Revolution avoided a sweep, annihilating the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, 13-0 on Thursday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.  The margin tied the second largest shutout victory in club history, the largest on the road, and matched the largest victory ever in Revs vs. Blue Crabs series history.

The Revs jumped in front in the top of the first as Connor Lien hammered a two-out solo homer to left, his 10th of the year, for the game's first run. Nellie Rodriguez and Carlos Franco followed with walks, setting the table for JC Encarnacion who ripped an RBI double down the left field line to put York ahead 2-0.

The Revs took advantage of several Blue Crab miscues in a seven-run second inning, chasing starter Denson Hull (2-5) and building a massive 9-0 lead.  Edwin Figuera reached on a throwing error by shortstop Michael Baca to get the ball rolling. Lenin Rodriguez reached first on a swinging third strike that got past catcher Joe DeLuca. Troy Stokes Jr. singled to right to load the bases, and a wild pitch brought home Figuera for the first run of the inning. Elmer Reyes was hit by a pitch to reload the bags before another wild pitch plated Rodriguez. Third baseman Alex Crosby uncorked a throwing error at the plate on an attempted fielder's choice allowing Stokes Jr. to score.  Franco added an RBI single to left, and Encarnacion ripped a two-run double down the left field line chasing Hull after 1.1 innings (nine runs, three earned). Reliever Alex Merithew uncorked another wild pitch, allowing Encarnacion to score the final run of the eruption.

York starter Eduardo Rivera (5-1) was dominant in backing up the offense's efforts. The righty allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings, walking three while striking out six on a season-high 115 pitches. He retired eight straight at one point, taking a one-hitter into the fifth while going at least seven innings for the second time this season, and at least six innings for the sixth time in seven starts.  It marked the second time in three starts that he tossed scoreless ball, and the third time this season holding the opposition without an earned run.

The Revs put the finishing touches on the offensive showing, scoring a run in the seventh on an RBI double to left by Stokes Jr., and three more in the ninth on a bases clearing double to deep left-center by Nellie Rodriguez.

Nick Green struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning making his Revs debut out of the bullpen, and Jim Fuller did likewise in a scoreless ninth to close it out.

Notes: The Revs took over the league lead in runs scored, 386-384 over Southern Maryland, in two fewer games played.  York led the league in runs scored in June, 193-160 over Southern Maryland.  The Revs finished the month of June with a 15-10 record.  Franco and Reyes each led the team with 29 RBI for the month, tying a Revs June record set by Ramon Castro in 2012. Franco extended his on-base streak to 42 consecutive games, three shy of the club record of 45 set by Nate Espy in 2007.  The loss was only the sixth at home for the Blue Crabs all season, now 27-6 at Regency Furniture Stadium.  It marks the third time the Revs have beaten the Blue Crabs by a series record 13-run margin and first since a 14-1 victory at Southern Maryland in 2019.  The Revs’ other 13-0 road shutout victory came on August 27, 2016 at Long Island as Thursday’s victory tied the largest road shutout win in franchise history.  The only bigger shutout in franchise history was a 19-0 home win vs. Lancaster in 2010.  York righty Jorge Martinez faces Long Island’s Anderson De Leon on Friday night as the road trip continues.