Suns sweep doubleheader, series with Shorebirds
SALISBURY, MD - The Hagerstown Suns (35-18, 79-44) swept a doubleheader with the Delmarva Shorebirds (22-31, 60-62) on Wednesday night, winning game one 2-1 and the second game 6-2. The doubleheader sweep gave Hagerstown the sweep of the three-game series against the Shorebirds, as the Suns are now on a seven-game winning streak.
In the first game of the doubleheader on Wednesday it took the Suns 10 innings to come away with their 2-1 victory. Right fielder Wilman Rodriguez led off the top of the 10th with a solo homerun to break the 1-1 deadlock and give Hagerstown the win. Delmarva had tied the game in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a wild pitch by RHP Sam Johns, who wound up with the blown save. LHP David Napoli (2-0) pitched the final two innings for Hagerstown to get the win. RHP Reynaldo Lopez started for the Suns and tossed six scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while striking out five. Lopez has now thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings over four starts since returning to the Suns roster from Auburn. RHP Garret Cortright (0-2) got tagged with the loss for the Shorebirds. He allowed one earned run on two hits over two innings.
In game two of the doubleheader on Wednesday Hagerstown plated two runs in each of the first three innings to go up 6-0, and the Shorebirds were held scoreless until the sixth, managing one run each in the sixth and seventh. Starting RHP Matt Swynenberg was responsible for keeping Delmarva off the board for the first four frames. He gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out three in his 2014 Suns debut. RHP Phillips Valdez (1-0) collected the win for Hagerstown. He pitched 1.2 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out three. Starting RHP Dariel Delgado (0-3) took the loss for the Shorebirds. He threw three innings, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two.
The series began on Monday night with a 13-7 Suns triumph over the Shorebirds. Hagerstown took a commanding 7-0 lead before Delmarva even came to the plate. The Suns belted two homeruns in that top of the first inning, a leadoff solo homer by CF Rafael Bautista, and a three-run shot by Rodriguez to round out the scoring in the frame. Starting LHP Luis Gonzalez (6-2) didn't make it out of that first inning as he suffered the loss for the Shorebirds. Gonzalez lasted just 0.2 innings, surrendering seven earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out one. Starting RHP Lucas Giolito (9-2) notched his fifth win in a row for the Suns. He threw five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six.
In total Hagerstown outscored Delmarva 21-10 over the course of the series, and the Suns out-hit the Shorebirds 35-24. The Suns next head to Lakewood, New Jersey to begin a four-game series with the Lakewood BlueClaws (19-34, 46-76), which starts on Thursday, August 14. RHP Nick Pivetta (12-7) will take the mound for Hagerstown for his 22nd start and 23rd appearance this season. He will square off against RHP Ranfi Casimiro (4-9) for the BlueClaws. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 7:05pm.