'Birds Outlast Pesky Power for Sweep

CHARLESTON, WV - After seeing three separate leads evaporate, the Delmarva Shorebirds made the fourth one stick, outlasting the West Virginia Power 10-7 in 10 innings on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park.
With the game tied 5-5 after nine, the Shorebirds (16-5, 64-26) started the top of the 10th with Seamus Curran at second base. Jean Carlos Encarnacion and Ben Breazeale led off with back-to-back walks, then after a strikeout Cody Roberts hit a tough grounder to short for an infield hit, scoring Curran to put the Shorebirds up 6-5. After another strikeout, Jaylen Ferguson worked a full count and muscled an inside pitch into shallow left for a single, plating Encarnacion and Breazeale. Adam Hall followed by tagging a two-run double down the left field line, making it a five-run Delmarva 10th and a 10-5 lead.
The Power (9-12, 46-45) mustered a rally of their own in the bottom of the 10th. With Ryan Ramiz starting at second, J.R. Davis grounded him over to third and Julio Rodriguez singled to bring him home. Bobby Honeyman followed with a base hit, and David Sheaffer got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Joseph Rosa got one more home with an RBI groundout to first to get it to 10-7, but Delmarva's Reed Hayes struck out Nick Rodriguez to end the game and lock down the Shorebirds' three-game sweep.
Hayes (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth and battled through the 10th to pick up his first win. Sal Biasi (4-3) took the loss, surrendering all five runs (four earned) in the 10th.
The climactic 10th served as a final sequel to several mid-inning skirmishes that saw Delmarva take the lead and West Virginia pull back into it. In the top of the fourth, Seamus Curran belted a solo home run to put the Shorebirds up 1-0. The Power answered in their half of the fourth as Davis walked with one out, Rodriguez hit into a fielder's choice, Honeyman singled, and Sheaffer singled to bring in Rodriguez, tying it at 1-1.
Adam Hall singled with two out in the top of the fifth and promptly stole second, and Cadyn Grenier followed with a gap-splitting double to left center, scoring Hall to make it 2-1. Manny Pazos had the answer in the West Virginia fifth, belting a solo home run to knot it at 2-2.
The Shorebirds seemingly bounded away from their hosts in the sixth. Breazeale reached on an error, then Edison Lantigua crushed a two-run homer to right, his first of the season. Roberts followed with a double, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Nick Horvath sac fly to put Delmarva ahead 5-2.
The Power got two back in the seventh on a two-run homer by Nick Rodriguez. Then in the eighth, Julio Rodriguez blasted a game-tying solo home run to left, bringing things even for a third time at 5-5. Delmarva regrouped from there and made sure the fourth lead stuck with a big 10th.
Ferguson and Hall provided a 1-2 punch at the top of the Shorebird lineup, going a combined 6-for-10 with each recording a double, run, and two RBIs. Hall also walked twice and stole two bases, giving him an even 20 on the season. Roberts went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and an RBI, while Curran homered for the second straight night and grabbed a second-place tie on the SAL leaderboard with his 15th dinger.
Julio Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored for the Power. Honeyman also had two hits.
Nick Vespi endured a no-decision despite a strong start for Delmarva, allowing two runs on three hits over five innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Over his last nine starts Vespi boasts a 1.54 ERA and 10.32 K/9.
West Virginia's Ryne Inman didn't factor into the decision either; he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, also walking one and fanning five.
The three-game sweep avenges the Shorebirds' three straight one-run losses at West Virginia on June 10-12. Delmarva outfoxed the Power on the scoreboard 26-9 in the three-game set.
The Shorebirds now turn their attention to the Hickory Crawdads for the opener of a six-game homestand on Friday night. Gray Fenter (6-1, 2.02) is slated to pitch for Delmarva against Hickory's Hans Crouse (2-1, 4.02). First pitch at Perdue Stadium is set for 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6:00. Friday night is Nickelodeon Night, featuring a visit from Chase from the TV series Paw Patrol; the Shorebirds will wear special Paw Patrol jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. It's also Froggy 99.9 Big Beer Friday presented by First Class HVAC. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:50 with Will DeBoer and Sam Jellinek on the call.