Heston Kjerstad Collects First Pro Hit, RBI; ‘Birds Fall 7-1

SALISBURY, MD – Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his professional debut, but the Delmarva Shorebirds offense was otherwise silent in a 7-1 loss to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Friday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Baltimore Orioles, Kjerstad made his professional debut with the Shorebirds (19-36) on Friday night, helping the club get on the board first against the Woodpeckers (26-29).

Luis Valdez walked for the ‘Birds to kick off the first and then went to second a groundout and third on a wild pitch. Kjerstad then drove in Valdez with a groundout to second, making it 1-0 Delmarva.

Fayetteville grabbed the lead with a three-run third. Joey Loperfido drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and then back-to-back RBI singles from Justin Williams and Logan Cerny made it 3-1.

Loperfido picked up another RBI on a double in the fifth and then scored after stealing third and advancing home on a Williams sacrifice fly.

Williams made it a four RBI game in the seventh when he walloped a two-run homer, his first of the season, to bring the game to its final line of 7-1.

Christian Mejias (2-1) collected the win for Fayetteville out of the bullpen, firing four shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five.

Moisés Chace (0-3) suffered the loss for Delmarva, conceding three runs on three hits and three walks, striking out three in 2.2 innings.

In the loss, Trendon Craig continued to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-4, extending his hitting streak to eight games.

The Shorebirds continue their series with the Woodpeckers on Saturday, June 11. Shane Davis (1-5, 4.02) is slated to go for the Shorebirds while Fayetteville counters with Edinson Batista (2-2, 3.31). First pitch from Perdue Stadium is slated for 7:05 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.TV and theshorebirds.com with Sam Jellinek on the call.

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.