‘Birds Edged by Red Sox to Open Homestand

SALISBURY, MD -The Delmarva Shorebirds threatened but ultimately fell short against the Salem Red Sox, 4-2, on Tuesday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The Shorebirds (35-18) and Red Sox swapped zeroes in the first frame before Salem struck the first blow.

Leading off the second, Stephon Scott smashed a homer to centerfield, his seventh of the season, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

Nick Yorke doubled the Salem lead in the third, swatting a solo homer with one away, his third of the campaign. Matthew Lugo followed with a flare double and then one out later Scott walked to put two aboard. Joe Davis then drove in Lugo with a single to center, making it 3-0 Red Sox.

Ceddanne Rafaela manufactured his own run in the sixth for Salem. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, Rafaela stole second before swiping third with a throwing error on the play allowing Rafaela to score, putting Salem ahead 4-0.

The Shorebirds finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. Lamar Sparks legged out a double and then Mason Janvrin singled him to third. After a strikeout, TT Bowens legged out a fielder’s choice to score Sparks and make it a 4-1 game.

Cutting the deficit further in the eighth, Janvrin bashed a solo homer, his sixth of the season, to make it a 4-2 contest.

The Shorebirds managed to load the bases in the ninth on an error, single, and hit by pitch, before ultimately falling as the Red Sox managed to strand the bases loaded.

Chih-Jung Liu (1-0) earned the win in his Salem debut. Liu fired five shutout frames, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out two.

Griffin McLarty (1-4) was hung with the loss for Delmarva. McLarty allowed three runs over four frames on five hits and two walks, striking out three.

Jacinto Arredondo garnered the save for Salem, his second of the year, with a scoreless ninth, allowing a hit while striking out two.

With his two-hit performance (2-for-4, HR), Janvrin extended his on-base streak to a team-high 32 games. Carmona continued to swing a hot stick, going 2-for-4 as well.

Salem was led by Yorke who finished 3-for-5 with a solo homer.

The Shorebirds and Red Sox square off again on Wednesday, July 7 at Perdue Stadium. Brandon Young (3-0, 3.35) gets the call on the mound for the Shorebirds while Salem goes with Ryan Zeferjahn (1-3, 7.71). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. while pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.TV and Fox Sports 960 AM 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.