Shorebirds spoil home opener for Suns
HAGERSTOWN, M.D. - The Delmarva Shorebirds (5-3) continue to be a thorn in the side of the Hagerstown Suns (4-4), playing spoiler to the Suns home opener on Thursday night by dealing Hagerstown a 7-4 extra-inning loss. Delmarva has now won four of five games with Hagerstown this season.
The Shorebirds struck for three runs in the top of the tenth to put the game away. The big blow came from the bat of 1B Christian Walker, who sent a line drive two-run homerun over the center field wall to break up the 4-4 tie. Designated hitter Nik Balog then followed that up with a double, and he scored when RF Creede Simpson hit a ground-rule double to left to bring the score to its final margin.
The Suns managed to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Left fielder Estarlin Martinez hit a one-out single up the middle, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. Martinez then stole third, and the throw over to third from RHP Miguel Chalas went wide of the bag, allowing Martinez to come around and score.
Delmarva broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth thanks to their first long ball of the game. In his first at-bat after coming in for an injured Roderick Bernadina, Simpson drilled a ball over the left field wall to put the Shorebirds ahead 2-1. Later in the inning, 2B Torsten Boss tripled with two aboard and two outs to stretch the lead to three.
The Suns cut into that lead in the bottom half of the frame. Catcher Craig Manuel started the inning with a line drive single to left. Designated hitter Wes Schill then singled to right, and after SS Stephen Perez was called out on strikes, 2B Tony Renda doubled to center field to drive in both runners and make it a one-run game.
Hagerstown got on the board first in the second inning. Right fielder Brandon Miller doubled, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Miller went to third when 1B Carlos Lopez grounded out to second, and scored when CF J.R. Higley grounded out to first. In the next half inning, catcher Wynston Sawyer led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 1-1.
RHP Ivan Pineyro started for the Suns and went five innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven. RHP Robert Benincasa (0-1) was tagged with the loss. He came in to start the 10th, allowing all three runs in the frame on four hits. RHP Matthew Price (1-0) earned the win for Delmarva, throwing two innings without allowing a hit or a run.
The Suns continue their four game series with the Shorebirds on Friday April 12. Hagerstown will send LHP Brett Mooneyham (0-0) to the mound for his second start of the season. He will square off against LHP Matt Taylor (0-0) for Delmarva. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.