Mundy and Henderson Lead Late Comeback for 'Birds over FredNats

Salisbury, MD -The Delmarva Shorebirds rained on the Fredericksburg Nationals stadium-opening parade as the Shorebirds claimed a 7-5 win on Tuesday night in the first official game at the New Fredericksburg Ballpark.

The Shorebirds (4-3) snap a mini two-game snide while the Nationals (0-7) drop their seventh in a row to open the season.

The Nationals christened their new ballpark with the first runs in the bottom of the first inning. Fredericksburg loaded the bases with nobody out and plated the first run of the game on a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Kevin Strohschein to make it a 1-0 game. Now with a runner at third and two away, Jake Randa belted a two-run homer to right, pushing the Fredericksburg lead to 3-0.

The Shorebirds bit into the deficit in the fourth. With one out, Gunnar Henderson beat out an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jordan Westburg then walked and after a strikeout Jordan Cannon earned a free pass to load the bases. Dylan Harris then flipped a single to right center, plating two, to bring Delmarva to within one at 3-2.

Delmarva flipped the game on its head in the seventh. With one away, Hudson Haskin reached on an error and Mason Janvrin followed him with a walk. Henderson then blasted a three-run homer to left, his third of the year, to vault the Shorebirds ahead 5-3. Not done in the inning after a strikeout, JD Mundy ripped a homer of his own, a solo shot and his second of the campaign, to make it a 6-3 game.

In the ninth, Delmarva added another run for insurance. With Westburg at first and two away, Mundy tattooed a ball off the centerfield wall, scoring Westburg, and extending the Shorebirds edge to 7-3.

Fredericksburg scratched across two runs in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but Thomas Girard came on out of the bullpen to record the final out and seal the 7-5 win.

Griffin McLarty (1-0) picked up the win in relief for Delmarva. McLarty worked 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while racking up two strikeouts.

Jordan Bocko (0-1) is saddled with the loss for Fredericksburg. Bocko allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out two.

Girard faced just one hitter to earn his first career save, recording a strikeout to end the game.

Jake Lyons started the game on the bump for Delmarva but did not factor into the decision. Lyons went three innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. After allowing three runs in the first, Lyons settled in for back-to-back shutout frames.

Karlo Seijas started for Fredericksburg but also did not factor into the decision. Seijas lasted 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on just one hit and two walks while striking out six.

Mundy and Westburg combined to pick up five of the seven Delmarva hits, while also driving in five of the team’s seven runs. Westburg finished 3-for-4 while Mundy was 2-for-4.

Randa led the charge for the Nationals, totaling two extra-base hits (double and a homer) in a 2-for-4 effort.

The Shorebirds and Nationals square off in game two of their series tomorrow, May 12, at the New Fredericksburg Ballpark. Brandon Young (0-0, 2.45) makes his second start of the year for Delmarva against Pedro González (0-1, 0.00) for Fredericksburg. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.

ABOUT THE DELMARVA SHOREBIRDS

The Delmarva Shorebirds were founded in 1996 and have been the Class-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles since 1997. The Shorebirds have won two South Atlantic League championships in 1997 and 2000 and were named the MiLB.com Minor League Team of the Year in 2019 after going 90-48 in the regular season. Based in Salisbury, Maryland, the Shorebirds are proud to represent the entire Delmarva Peninsula and have hosted two SAL All-Star Games in 1999 and 2011. The Shorebirds are owned by 7th Inning Stretch, LP, based in Stockton, California headed by Chairman Tom Volpe and President Pat Filippone.