'Birds Outlast 'Dogs for Sweep

CHARLESTON, SC - The Delmarva Shorebirds pulled off their first sweep in over two months, building a big lead early and outlasting the Charleston RiverDogs late to win 7-6 on Friday night at Joe Riley Park.
Cameron Bishop (8-4) earned his team-best eighth win for the Shorebirds (14-8, 49-40), allowing two runs on five hits over five innings while walking one and striking out five. Miguel Yajure (2-1) took the loss for the RiverDogs (12-8, 45-43), giving up five runs on eight hits in 3.1 frames. Nick Vespi notched his fourth save by getting the final five outs of the night.
Just like the night before, Delmarva jumped in front early. Cadyn Grenier led off the game with a walk, then Branden Becker rolled a single into right to put two on. After a double play erased much of the scoring potential, Trevor Craport banged a double to left center, scoring Grenier to put the Shorebirds up 1-0 after the first.
The RiverDogs threatened in the second, putting men on the corners with one out. Bishop then spied Jason Lopez leaning too far off the bag, throwing to first as he broke for second. Ryan Ripken threw to second and Grenier slapped the tag on Lopez, then Grenier spun around and fired a dart home, hitting Chris Shaw's mitt in the exact spot where Dermis Garcia slid in. Instead of a double steal, the Shorebirds had pulled off a remarkable 1-3-6-2 double play, erasing the Charleston rally in a flash.
The Shorebirds used that momentum to leap further ahead in the third. Max Hogan led off with a single and later stole second base. After a strikeout, Becker punched a line drive into left center, bringing in Hogan to make it 2-0. Zach Jarrett and Craport followed with singles to load the bases, and Ripken split the gap in right center with a bases-clearing double, putting Delmarva in the driver's seat at 5-0.
Delmarva tacked on another in the fifth on a RIpken two-out single and Will Robertson double.
Down 6-0, the RiverDogs finally made their move in the bottom of the fifth. Lopez singled with one out and made it to third on two wild pitches. Leonardo Molina worked an eight-pitch walk with two outs, and Mitchell Hansen scorched a liner that glanced off Ripken's glove at first and all the way to the right field corner. Lopez and Molina both scored on Hansen's triple that cut the Shorebird lead to 6-2.
The teams traded a run each in the sixth. Chris Shaw doubled to lead off for Delmarva and eventually scored on an error. In the home half, a single and double put men on second and third with no out, but a Chris Hess sac fly was all Charleston could muster, making it 7-3 Shorebirds.
In the eighth, Carlos Vidal led off with a double and Wilkerman Garcia singled. After a popout, Dermis Garcia clubbed one to dead center field and off the batter's eye for a three-run home run, making it a one-run game at 7-6.
Vespi came in after the homer and hit his first batter but got out of any potential trouble with a 6-4-3 double play. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Molina reached on a one-out grounder that Grenier couldn't handle at short. Vespi punched out Hansen but walked Vidal to put the tying and winning runs on base with two down. Undaunted, Vespi fanned Wilkerman Garcia on three pitches, nailing down the clutch save and delivering the Shorebirds a sweep.
Ripken finished 2-for-4 with a double, run, and three RBIs to lead the Shorebirds, while Craport went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run, and an RBI. Becker and Jarrett each notched two hits and a run.
Dermis Garcia led the way for the RiverDogs, going 2-for-4 with the three-run homer. WIlkerman Garcia finished 2-for-5 with two runs.
The sweep was Delmarva's fifth of the season and first since taking three in a row at home against Greenville on May 1-3.
The Shorebirds now head north to the other Charleston for a four-game set against the West Virginia Power. Brenan Hanifee (7-4, 2.41) will start the Saturday matchup for Delmarva against Charleston's Travis MacGregor (1-2, 2.54). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 5:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.