Font ResizeActivated about seven hours before the game's first pitch, York Revolution shortstop Danny Sandoval had not seen live pitching in about three months.
He needed some time to get adjusted -- about four at-bats to be exact.
Sandoval recorded his first hit for the Revs in the bottom of the 11th inning, driving in the winning run with a grounder between first and second base.
The hit allowed York to snap a five-game losing streak with a 7-6 victory against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in front of about a dozen remaining fans of the 3,419 paying customers at Sovereign Bank Stadium.
Sandoval's hit rolled just out of reach of a diving Eric Crozier.
Sandoval was 0-for-4 when he stepped to the plate against Jimmy Serrano (0-1) in the bottom of the 11th with one out.
"I'm seeing the ball good," Sandoval said. "It's just a matter of getting that feeling back again -- that baseball feel."
Players ran out of the dugout to mob Sandoval at first base.
"We needed this one," Sandoval said.
The late-game heroics transpired after third baseman Jeff Eure reached second base when he sprinted out a pop fly to center that Crabs outfielder Jeremy Owens dropped.
"That's what we talk about," York manager Chris Hoiles said about the hustle play. "It gave us a big run tonight."
Eure advanced to third on pinch-hitter Luis Taveras' grounder to second base, setting the stage for Sandoval to win a game with his first hit in a Revs' uniform.
Sandoval
The game featured a bit of everything, including a solid six innings by York's struggling bullpen.
The Revs (3-7) hit into the first triple play in franchise history, when Matt Padgett hit a smash to third base in the third inning.
Then in the ninth, a double that could have started a rally was ruled foul. It appeared the ball glanced off Eure's glove, and the ensuing argument resulted in the ejection of Crabs (6-3) third-base coach Andy Etchebarren.
Southern Maryland loaded the bases in the 10th with no outs, when Steve Andrade and Brian Holliday (1-1) managed to get out of the jam. The Revs' bullpen used a fly out to right, hump-back liner to short and strikeout to end the threat.
"He came up huge tonight," Hoiles said about Holliday.
Andrade kept shaking his right pitching hand, and told Hoiles on the mound that he felt something in his shoulder. Andrade had shoulder surgery during the winter of 2007 to repair a torn labrum, but was healthy and showed no signs of injury last season.
Holliday replaced him and retired the final two outs of the inning.
Crabs left fielder James Shanks made a jumping catch to snare a Ryan Goleski drive in front of the left field monster in the bottom of the 10th to help keep the game tied.
York forced extra innings when the Revs tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth, plating a pair of two runs on
York used a walk and single -- by Jason Aspito -- to place the tying runs on base. Eure grounded to shortstop, but reached on an error, allowing one run to score. And pinch hitter Brandon Pinckney reached on an infield single to first base.
Pinch runner Goleski came around to score from second when Crabs pitcher Matt Schweitzer reached first base too late.
Schweitzer fired the ball over the head of his catcher, but the Revs left runners stranded at third and second to end the frame.
York starter Rick Bauer lasted five innings in the poor weather. He allowed six hits and four runs, striking out five and walking two.
Reliever Dan Foli entered the game in the sixth, retiring six straight batters. But he hit the first batter he faced in the eighth, and Crozier blasted a 1-1 pitch to the right field lawn.
jseip@ydr.com; 771-2025
