IronBirds' Lowther allows one hit in pro debut

Many players feel some nerves or anxiety ahead of their Minor League debuts. Not Zac Lowther .
The Orioles prospect allowed one hit over three scoreless innings in Class A Short Season Aberdeen's 3-0 win over Brooklyn on Friday. Lowther struck out five of the 10 batters he faced and threw 27 of 38 pitches for strikes.

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"I was feeling really good, excited to get back against hitters and into a game and be able to compete," the 21-year-old said. "Going in, I was trying not to be too amped up. My family was in town, so for them to be able to see my first outing was important."
Lowther's parents and grandfather made the six-plus-hour drive from the pitcher's hometown of Cleveland, while his aunts traveled from New Jersey and Virginia to watch him debut.
"People came from all over and that was really special to me," Lowther said. "Not really [any pressure] for me; just to know they're there, it's really nice to have somebody around."
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound left-hander started his outing by striking out Leon Byrd and Franklin Correa on four pitches apiece before Matt Winaker grounded back to Lowther on the first pitch.
"A great start usually leads to a great finish, so just being able to get the first out of the way and be efficient with it leads the way for the rest of the game," Lowther said. "We had a really quick start and it led to the rest of the game being fast-paced."
No. 3 hitter Ben Breazeale doubled to left in the first to plate the IronBirds' first run and Zach Jarrett's sacrifice fly to center two batters later gave them a 2-0 lead that Lowther helped maintain.

The Xavier product struck out Jose Miguel Medina to start the second before Quinn Brodey lined a single to left. Lowther ended the inning with a three-pitch strikeout of Jose Maria and turned in a 1-2-3 third to complete his outing.
Lowther wasn't on any specific limits Friday from a pitch or innings standpoint, and the organization hasn't relayed anything specific it would like him to work on, although he has a few ideas of his own on potential improvements.
"I'm really working on my changeup and getting my curveball to be more consistent," Lowther said. "I threw a couple off-speed today and they were really good results for me. Just getting that early confidence at this level is really good for me to see."

Hector Guance (1-0) tossed four two-hit innings with a walk and five strikeouts, and Scott Burke and Reed Hayes combined to allow one hit over the final two innings for Aberdeen.
T.J. Nichting and Ryan Ripken each had two hits and Trevor Craport hit his first home run for the IronBirds.