‘Birds Mow Down ‘Cats to Open Series

LYNCHBURG, VA - In a fast-paced contest the Delmarva Shorebirds slipped by the Lynchburg Hillcats 3-2 on Tuesday night at the Bank of the James Stadium.

The Shorebirds (21-9) limited the dynamic Hillcats (16-14) attack to just three hits thanks to the combined dominance of Noah Denoyer, Thomas Girard, and Shelton Perkins.

Scoreless after the first four innings, Dylan Harris coaxed a walk to begin the fourth inning. Cristopher Cespedes followed him by blasting a two-run homer, his third of the year, to put Delmarva up 2-0.

Lynchburg had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. Yainer Diaz walked with one away and after a strikeout Cody Farhat also worked a free pass. Alexfri Planez then ripped a single up the middle, scoring Diaz, and sending Farhat to third. The Hillcats then tried to execute a double steal, but it was snuffed out by the Shorebirds with Farhat getting thrown out at the plate.

The Shorebirds plated an insurance run in the eighth. Darell Hernaiz singled with one out before Mason Janvrin walked. After a flyout, Gunnar Henderson rolled a single to center to score Hernaiz and make it 3-1.

That run proved pivotal as Diaz smashed a solo homer with two outs in the ninth, his first of the year, but Lynchburg would get no closer as Perkins locked down the 3-2 victory.

Denoyer (3-0) won his third straight outing, firing five dominant shutout frames, allowing just one hit and three walks, striking out five.

Randy Labaut (2-1) is tagged with the loss for Lynchburg. Labaut went five strong frames, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out three.

Perkins earned his third save of the season, striking out a career high six in 2.1 innings, his only blemish being the solo homer he allowed to Diaz.

With not a whole lot of offense to go around, the Shorebirds made the most of their five hits. With his eighth inning single, Hernaiz extended his on-base streak to 22 games.

Lynchburg had just three hits themselves, with Diaz scoring both runs for the Hillcats after going 1-for-3 with a homer.

The Shorebirds and Hillcats tango again on June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bank of the James Stadium. Zach Peek (1-1, 3.86) makes the start for Delmarva while Lynchburg hands the ball to Daniel Espino (1-0, 2.01).

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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.