‘Birds Swept in Twin Bill by Hillcats To End First Half

SALISBURY, MD – The Delmarva Shorebirds saw two tight games slip away late against the Lynchburg Hillcats on Thursday night, getting swept in a twin bill by scores of 3-2 and 5-1 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The losses closed out the first half for the Shorebirds (21-44) and the Hillcats (35-31) with Lynchburg clinching the Carolina League Northern Division First Half title with the doubleheader sweep.

Game One

The scoring in the first game of the twin bill didn’t start until the fourth inning. Back-to-back one-out walks were cashed in on by the Hillcats as Dayan Frias smacked an RBI single to make it 1-0 Lynchburg.

After a leadoff walk and two-out error put two in scoring position for the Shorebirds in the fifth, Noelberth Romero ripped a two-run single to vault Delmarva ahead 2-1.

Down to their final out, the Hillcats got singles from Joe Donovan and Luis Durango to stay alive, with Donovan advancing to third on Durango’s knock. After Durango stole second, Yordys Valdes reached on a throwing error, allowing both runners to score and give the Hillcats a 3-2 lead.

Delmarva threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but stranded two aboard to end the game.

Will Dion (4-1) earned the win for the Hillcats, going six innings and allowing just two unearned runs on five hits and a walk, striking out eight.

Hugo Beltran (3-3) suffered the loss for the Shorebirds, allowing two unearned runs over 3.1 innings on four hits, striking out two.

Elvis Jerez collected his eighth save for Lynchburg, working around two outs in the seventh by striking out three.

Game Two

The second game of the doubleheader was an equally tight and tense game.

The Shorebirds loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on three straight singles from Ryan Higgins, Mishael Deson, and Trendon Craig. Frederick Bencosme then plated Higgins with an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 1-0 Delmarva.

Lynchburg answered back immediately in the top of the second to tie it, when Victor Planchart roped an RBI triple to rightfield.

The game stayed locked at 1-1 all the way until the seventh. Donovan walked to start the inning and was then pinch run for by Durango. Durango then stole second and came in to score on a Valdes single. After Jake Fox was hit by a pitch, Jorge Burgos smashed a two-run triple and then scored later in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

Jack Leftwich (4-1) picked up the win for Lynchburg with a complete game (seven innings) three-hitter. Leftwich struck out nine and walked just one while allowing just one run.

Dylan Heid (0-1) absorbed the loss for the Shorebirds. Heid allowed three runs in 1.1 innings on one hit and three walks, striking out one in his Delmarva debut.

The Shorebirds continue their six-game against the Lynchburg Hillcats on Friday, June 24 at Perdue Stadium to kick off the second half of the season with records reset to 0-0. Edgar Portes (0-1, 6.30) takes the mound for Delmarva against Trenton Denholm (3-2, 4.61) for Lynchburg. First pitch 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.