'Birds Outslug K-Town, Clinch Series

KANNAPOLIS, NC - The Delmarva Shorebirds slugged their way to a rare comfortable win, easily dispatching the Kannapolis Intimidators 9-3 on Sunday afternoon at Intimidators Stadium.
Ofelky Peralta (3-0) turned in his second Quality Start for the Shorebirds (32-9), allowing two runs on six hits over six innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Jonathan Stiever (3-3) took the loss for the Intimidators (19-23), surrendering eight runs on 11 hits in five frames. Tyler Joyner tossed the final three innings and earned his third save, giving up a run on two hits.
Delmarva busted out the big lumber early. Cadyn Grenier led off the second with a single, then Doran Turchin scraped a two-run homer just over the wall in left, his fourth of the season. Seamus Curran and Daniel Fajardo followed with back-to-back singles, then after a fielder's choice and a flyout, Robbie Thorburn dropped a dying quail into shallow left for an RBI single. On the next pitch, Nick Horvath checked his swing but still poked it into right field for another run-scoring single, putting Delmarva up 4-0.
Turchin was in the middle of things again in the third, singling with one out and eventually scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-0. The Intimidators got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run from Romy Gonzalez.
In the fifth, Grenier led off with a base hit and Turchin got hit to put two men on for Curran, who pounded a lumbering three-run homer over the 20-foot wall in right field. The blast was Curran's team-high sixth of the year and pushed the Shorebird lead to 8-1.
Kannapolis got one of those runs back in the fifth when Johan Cruz belted a solo homer. The two solo blasts were the only blemishes against Peralta, who relied on four double plays behind him to get through six strong.
Turchin flexed his muscles again against Kannapolis outfielder Alex Destino, who came in from right to pitch the ninth. After a one-out walk to Grenier, Turchin lashed a run-scoring triple through the gap in right center to make it 9-2 Shorebirds. The Intimidators got one more in the home ninth on a Travis Moniot RBI fielder's choice.
Turchin finished a double shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a triple, homer, three runs, and three RBIs. Curran went 3-for-5 with his three-run homer and two runs scored. Thorburn notched his 11th multi-hit game of the month, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Grenier managed two hits and three runs.
Cruz reached base all four times for the Intimidators, going 2-for-2 with a solo homer and two walks.
The six-run margin provided a level of late-game comfort the Shorebirds have not been used to during their torrid start. The win was just Delmarva's sixth out of 32 that came by more than three runs.
With a series win already assured, the Shorebirds go for the knockout punch as they wrap up the five-game set and nine-game road trip against the Intimidators on Monday night. Hector Guance (2-1, 3.86) will take the hill for Delmarva against Kannapolis' Taylor Varnell (3-2, 2.89). First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:45 with Will DeBoer on the call.