FLY BALLS, STORMERS COME UP SHORT

York Grabs Playoff Opener

Two fly balls came within feet of turning the game around in the bottom of the eighth inning on Tuesday evening.  Instead, both were caught, and the York Revolution held on for a 4-3 win over the Lancaster Stormers in the opener of the best-of-five North Division Series.

Lancaster trailed, 4-2, heading into the bottom of the eighth.  With one out, Isan Diaz cleared the fence in right center to chase starter Chris Vallimont (1-0) out of the game.  Mason Martin greeted reliever Alex Valverde with a double into the right field corner, putting the tying run into scoring position.  Niko Hulsizer cranked a fly ball to deep left, caught up against the fence by Alerick Soularie.  Joe Stewart followed with a long drive to the track in right center, which was flagged by Rudy Martin, Jr. for the third out.

The Stormers managed only a two-out walk to Trace Loehr in the ninth as Matt Turner earned the save.

York was able to take advantage of a limited number of scoring opportunities in the game, picking up four hits in the first four chances with a runner at second.  Zander Wiel drove in Matt McDermott with a single through the left side in the first inning.  Soularie led off the fifth with a double to left center and was promptly picked up by Jacob Rhinesmith on a base hit up the middle.

With one out in the seventh, David Washington was walked by Scott Engler (0-1) on a full count pitch and then stole second.  Soularie found the gap in left center for a triple to break a 2-2 tie.  The crucial insurance run crossed in the eighth inning when Rudy Martin, Jr. hit a topper to the left side of the mound with Chase Dawson at second.  The ball ticked off Loehr’s glove rolling into shallow left.  Dawson slid home ahead of the throw.

Lancaster scored its other two runs in the first.  The Stormers loaded the bases on an error, walk and a single.  Mason Martin produced one run with a grounder to second.  Another scored on a wild pitch, but the Stormers were unable to make anything else out of another bases loaded, one-out opportunity.

Vallimont worked 7 1/3 innings, yielding five hits and three runs, two earned.  He walked four, all in the first two innings, and fanned six.  Lancaster starter Noah Bremer went six innings, yielding only four hits and two runs.  He walked none and struck out five.

Matt Swarmer (5-4) will make the Game Two start against lefty Aaron Fletcher (6-5) Wednesday at 6:45 at Clipper Magazine Stadium.  Fans may tune into FloBaseball, starting at 6:40.

NOTES:  The loss was only the fourth for Lancaster in the first game of a playoff series in 14 sets…Lancaster is 1-2 in the series when dropping the first game, having come back against Southern Maryland in 2022…Lancaster pitchers fanned 10 for the night…Diaz had half of Lancaster’s six hits.