CHARLESTON, WV - The Delmarva Shorebirds led thrice but ended up on the wrong end of a barnburner, falling 10-8 to the West Virginia Power on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.With the game tied 6-6 in the sixth, Davis Tavarez sparked a Shorebirds (34-32) rally with a leadoff double.
CHARLESTON, WV - The Delmarva Shorebirds led thrice but ended up on the wrong end of a barnburner, falling 10-8 to the West Virginia Power on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.
With the game tied 6-6 in the sixth, Davis Tavarez sparked a Shorebirds (34-32) rally with a leadoff double. After a groundout, Branden Becker drew a walk to put two men on. Zach Jarrett followed with a single to left, but Chris Sharpe threw Tavarez out at the plate trying to score from second. The throw home allowed Becker to sneak in to take third, and Becker came home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Seamus Curran then hit a soft liner to short that Oneil Cruz dropped, allowing Jarrett to score to make it 8-6.
The Power (37-28) wouldn't wait long for an answer. Sharpe led off the home sixth with a single, and Kyle Watson follwed with an RBI double to cut it to 8-7. After a Lolo Sanchez sac bunt, Cruz glided a single into center, plating Watson with the tying run. On the very next pitch, Rodolfo Castro belted a two-run homer to left, making it a four-spot in the inning and putting West Virginia ahead to stay 10-8.
Ike Schlabach (4-1) earned the win in relief for the Power, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits in 2.2 frames. Cameron Ming (0-2) took the loss out of the bullpen for the Shorebirds, surrendering four runs on six hits in four innings. Samuel Reyes tamed the Delmarva attack with three scoreless innings for his second save.
Delmarva went ahead early with a run in each of the first two innings. In the first, Jarrett slashed a two-out double and came home on a Curran single. In the second, Will Robertson and Alexis Torres combined for back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0.
West Virginia countered in the bottom of the third. Chris Sharpe led off with a walk, then Kyle Watson beat out an infield single. An iffy throw from short allowed Sharpe to take third, and an even wilder return throw from first sailed into the stands, scoring Sharpe and moving Watson up to third. After a groundout to the mound, Cruz laced a triple down the right field line, scoring Watson to tie it at 2-2. Calvin Mitchell brought Cruz home two batters later on a sac fly, putting the Power on top 3-2.
Trevor Craport led off the Delmarva fourth with a grounder to third base that ate up Brett Pope. After a strikeout, Robertson singled and Torres followed with an infield hit to load the bases. Tavarez muscled a swinging bunt in front of the mound that starter Domingo Robles couldn't handle, allowing Craport to score to tie it at 3-3. Mason McCoy then worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run and chase Robles. Becker and Jarrett followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles, making it a four-run frame and a 6-3 Delmarva lead, but the Shorebirds left the bases loaded to cut off the rally.
Momentum swayed back to West Virginia in the bottom of the fourth. John Bormann doubled to lead off, and Pope cranked a two-run homer to right to make it 6-5. Sharpe then singled and stole second base, reaching third on an error. After a striktout and popout, Cruz ripped another triple into the right field corner, scoring Sharpe to get it even at 6-6 and set up the wild finish.
Jarrett went 4-for-5 with a double, RBI, and two runs to lead the Shorebirds. Robertson finished 2-for-5 with a double and two runs, while Torres added two hits, including a double, a run, and an RBI. Tavarez's rally-starting double in the sixth was his first hit as a Shorebird.
Cruz finished a monster day at the plate 4-for-5 with a double, two triples, two runs, and three RBIs. Sharpe scored three times, while Watson went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and an RBI.
Scott Burke made the start for Delmarva and took a no-decision, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings. West Virginia's Robles gave up six runs (two earned) on seven hits in 3.1 frames in his own no-decision.
The Shorebirds wrap up the first half with the series finale against the Power on Sunday afternoon. Brenan Hanifee (4-3, 2.95) will take the bump for Delmarva against West Virginia's Gavin Wallace (5-0, 3.49). First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 1:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.
