The BlueClaws took two of three in Delmarva after a rain-shortened win on Wednesday. ---
The BlueClaws took two of three in Delmarva after a rain-shortened win on Wednesday.
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SALISBURY, MD - Rafi Gonell threw five scoreless innings and the BlueClaws topped Delmarva 4-0 on Wednesday in a rain-shortened five-and-a-half innings on Wednesday at Perdue Stadium.
The win gives the BlueClaws (9-16/38-57) two of three in the series from Delmarva (18-9/66-30) after the Shorebirds took the series opener on Monday night.
Gonell (3-1) gave up one hit and walked two in his longest outing of the season.
The BlueClaws got on the board in the second inning. Carlos De La Cruz singled and stole second. He went to third on a flyout to center, and came home with CF Nick Horvath's throw ended up in the Delmarva dugout.
McCarthy Tatum homered in the third, his first professional home run, to put the BlueClaws up 2-0.
Lakewood added two more in the fifth on an inside-the-park home run by Jonathan Guzman. The liner to right skipped past Robert Neustrom and Guzman slid through the legs of catcher Ben Breazeale to complete the home run. It was Lakewood's first inside-the-park home run since Jake Scheiner last May at Rome and second since Roman Quinn in 2013 in Lakewood against Hagerstown.
Taylor Lehman came on for the BlueClaws in the sixth and got an out on one pitch, a groundout to short, before rain and lightning halted the game.
Nick Vespi (5-5) gave up four runs, three earned, in five innings and took the loss for Delmarva.
The BlueClaws head to Kannapolis and open a series against the Intimidators on Thursday night. LHP Jhordany Mezquita (2-6) starts for Lakewood.
- BlueClaws -
