Late Error Costs Shorebirds, Crawdads Salvage Split

SALISBURY, MD - Hickory scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth and the Crawdads salvaged the series finale, beating the Delmarva Shorebirds 8-6 on Sunday afternoon at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
With the game tied 6-6 in the ninth, Miguel Aparicio led off with a grounder to short. Chris Clare's throw to first sailed high and Aparicio reached on the error. Francisco Jimenez then committed a balk, allowing Aparicio to move up to second. Blaine Prescott bunted him to third, and Franklin Rollin hit a hustle double to left, scoring Aparicio to make it 7-6. The Crawdads (22-35) padded the lead two batters later on a Yanio Perez double down the left field line.
Nick Dignacco returned to the mound after getting the last two outs of the eighth inning and sat down the Shorebirds (23-32) 1-2-3 to seal the deal.
Dignacco (1-0) earned his first win in almost three years after missing the last two seasons while serving as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His last win came with the short-season Spokane Indians on June 27, 2014. He pitched two scoreless innings that day against the Everett AquaSox.
Jiménez (3-1) suffered his first loss after giving up the two unearned runs on three hits in 2.2 innings.
The back-and-forth affair featured two ties and four lead changes. Hickory scored in the first inning as Rollin led off with a double and scored two batters later on a Yanio Perez groundout. Delmarva responded in its half of the first inning with a Preston Palmeiro sac fly to score Cole Billingsley. In the third, Billingsley singled, stole second base, and scored on a two-base error at short, giving the Shorebirds a 2-1 lead.
The Crawdads put up a three-spot in the top of the fourth. With two on and two out, Anderson Tejeda ripped a triple to right center and scored on a throwing error by Billingsley in right. The Little League home run put Hickory on top 4-2.
The Shorebirds got their own three spot in the bottom half of the fourth. Alejandro Juvier reached on an error at third base, and Frank Crinella followed with a double to chase him home. Daniel Fajardo singled to move Crinella up to third, putting men on the corners with one out. Hickory starter Kyle Cody got back-to-back strikeouts, then after a bizzare steal of second by Fajardo, Billingsley walked to load the bases. Clare then cracked a single into left, plating Crinella and Fajardo to put Delmarva up 5-4.

A two-out rally produced another run for Delmarva in the fifth. Crinella hit his second double in as many innings and Fajardo followed with an RBI single to left, making it 6-4.
Alex Kowalczyk and Carlos Garay began the top of the sixth with back-to-back singles. After a strikeout, Aparicio hit a single to right to score Kowalczyk. Garay moved up to third on the throw home but Fajardo threw out Aparicio as he tried to take second. With the tying run on third, two out, and Blaine Prescott at the dish, Matthias Dietz threw a wild pitch, allowing Garay to score to tie it at 6-6.
Dietz went six innings in the start, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits while hitting a batter and striking out one on 78 pitches. Cody lasted five innings for the Crawdads, giving up six runs (two earned) on seven hits.
Billingsley reached all five times he came to bat for the Shorebirds, going 2-for-2 with a double, three walks, two runs, and two stolen bases. Crinella finished 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and runs to go along with an RBI.
Rollin paced the Hickory attack, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs, an RBI, and a stolen base. Perez and Tejeda each drove in two, while Kowalczyk and Garay scored twice.
The Shorebirds will spend Monday to travel for a Tuesday night game at the West Virginia Power. Jhon Peluffo (3-1, 2.43) makes the start for Delmarva on Tuesday against West Virginia's James Marvel (2-3, 3.73). First pitch is 7:05, and pregame coverage of the resumption on Fox Sports AM 960 and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 6:50 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call.