Bridgeport Bluefish (67-56, 35-25) @ York Revolution (71-50, 35-23)

Thursday, September 15, 2011, Game 2

Sovereign Bank Stadium:  York, PA

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THURMAN SETS WINS RECORD, NOWAK SETS HOMERUN RECORD, GRIMES HITS FOR CYCLE, AND REVS CLINCH THIRD PLAYOFF SPOT IN CLUB HISTORY

Corey Thurman established a new single season wins record in York Revolution history, Scott Grimes celebrated his 28^th birthday by becoming the first player in Revs history to hit for the cycle, Chris Nowak established a new club record for homeruns in a season, and the York Revolution clinched the Freedom Division’s second half championship, all on a chilly Thursday evening into Friday morning at Sovereign Bank Stadium.  The Revs defeated the Bridgeport Bluefish by counts of 8-2 and 5-4 in a doubleheader sweep to punch their playoff ticket, and will close the regular season with a weekend series against Southern Maryland beginning on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

Thurman (13-3) worked 5.2 innings allowing just two runs in the opener, surpassing Wayne Franklin’s mark of 12 victories in 2008 to establish a new club record for wins in a season, claiming the victory in the opening game.

Grimes supported Thurman’s effort, going 4-for-4 with a triple, double, single, and homerun in that order, accomplishing the cycle in just six offensive innings.

After Grimes led off the first inning with a triple to right field, Chris Walker drove him in on a groundout to shortstop spotting York the early 1-0 lead.

Bridgeport tied it with an RBI double from Luis Rodriguez in the second.  Rodriguez drove in both Bridgeport runs in the opener on doubles, but it was not enough to overcome a six-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference in York’s game one win.

Vince Harrison led off the bottom of the fifth with a homerun to left-center, his tenth of the season, breaking the 1-1 tie.  Grimes drove in another run on his single, Ramon Castro drilled an RBI double off the right field fence, and Harrison plated two more before the monster inning ended with a double to right, as the Revs leapt in front 7-1.  The six-run inning was the Revs’ biggest of the second half.

Grimes’ line drive homerun to left in the sixth, barely clearing the Arch Nemesis, provided the final exclamation point in the opener.

Thurman’s win was also his club record seventh consecutive winning decision.

With a magic number of one, the Revs learned of Lancaster’s loss in the top of the second inning in game two, with a playoff berth wrapped up by that point.  But the Revs still had another dramatic comeback in them before the night was over.

Bridgeport built a 4-0 lead on a two-run homer from Steve Moss and a sacrifice fly from Brandon Chaves in the top of the second, as well as an RBI single from Michael Moras in the fourth.  That came in support of starter Paul Oseguera who breezed through the first four innings.

The Revs erupted for five runs in the bottom of the fifth, however.  Walker smacked an RBI triple off the fence in left-center and scored on a wild pitch.  Nowak later tattooed a three-run homer to left-center, moving past Jason Aspito for the top spot on the club’s all-time single season homerun list with his 25^th of the year in only 81 games played.

Lorenzo Barcelo (5-0) earned the win lasting five innings to become the first in Revs history to start a season with five consecutive wins.

Michael Nix nailed down his club record 18^th save with a 1-2-3 seventh.

Notes: The playoff berth for the Revs is the third in club history.  It is the third trip to the playoffs in the last four seasons, and second straight.  York will host Lancaster on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. in Game 1 of the Freedom Division Championship Series.  The Revs finish the regular season 14-4 against Bridgeport, including a 9-0 mark at home; York also went unbeaten at home against Camden this season.  The Revs are a club record 21 games over .500, and have matched the club’s single-season wins record with 71 victories; York won 71 games in a 140-game regular season in 2008, but have reached that mark in only 121 contests this season.  The Revs will host Southern Maryland on Friday at 6:30 p.m. which is Girls Night Out at Sovereign Bank Stadium featuring a cap giveaway presented by Memorial Hospital to the first 1,500 ladies.  There will also be a Postgame Diamond Dig presented by Garrick Jewelers.  The night kicks off with a Hot Corner Happy Hour at 4:30 p.m.  Tickets are available at YorkRevolution.com, (717) 801-HITS and in-person at the Apple Chevrolet Ticket Office.  York’s Shaun Garceau will face the Blue Crabs’ David Trahan on the mound in Friday’s opener.