'Birds Storm Back, Stun 'Hoppers in Ten

GREENSBORO, NC - The Delmarva Shorebirds erased an 11-2 seventh-inning deficit with 10 unanswered runs, stunning the Greensboro Grasshoppers 12-11 in 10 innings on Thursday night at First National Bank Field.
With four-spots in the seventh and eighth to cut their deficit to 11-10, Cadyn Grenier led off the top of the ninth with a walk, later taking second base on a passed ball. Cody Roberts then connected for a deep flyball to left that Justin Harrer sprinted for and caught off balance. Seeing Harrer fall over on the warning track, Grenier bolted for third and rounded for the plate, sliding in ahead of a late throw from an unsuspecting cutoff man. The play went down as a sac fly for Roberts, and the Shorebirds (1-0, 49-21) tied it at 11-11 to force extras.
Nick Horvath began the top of the 10th at second base, and Ryne Ogren bunted him up to third. With the infield drawn in, new Shorebird Edison Lantigua snuck a grounder through the right side for a single, scoring Horvath to put Delmarva up 12-11.
Jhon Peluffo shut down the Grasshoppers (0-1, 44-26) from there, coaxing three flyballs to right for the final three outs, including a warning-track shot from Patrick Dorrian that landed harmlessly in Doran Turchin's glove in the glow of the video scoreboard to put it on ice.
Peluffo (1-0) continued his hot surge with a perfect ninth and 10th, striking out two for his first win of the year. Peluffo has now gone eight straight outings without giving up an earned run (18 innings). Braeden Ogle (1-2) took the loss after letting the free runner score in the 10th.
Before a complete reversal in the teams' fortunes, Greensboro put up runs in droves early. Dorrian plated one on an RBI groundout in the first, then two more came in on RBIs from Kyle Mottice and Fabricio Macias in the second. In the third the Grasshoppers seemingly broke it open with five: Grant Koch drove in one with a one-out RBI single, then after a fielder's choice and another hit Zac Susi belted a two-run double. Mottice and Macias followed with run-scoring singles, putting the home side up 8-0.
Delmarva got a pair back in the fourth on a two-run homer from Grenier, but Jack Herman answered for the Grasshoppers with a solo shot in the fifth. In the sixth, Connor Kaiser notched an RBI single, and a sac fly from Koch nudged the Greensboro lead out to 11-2.
The comeback began innocently enough in the seventh as Turchin beat out a leadoff infield single. After a wild pitch and a groundout, Roberts lashed a single into left, scoring Turchin to make it 11-3. Jean Carlos Encarnacion got hit by a pitch, and Seamus Curran singled to load the bases. Nick Horvath then drew a walk to force in a run, and Ogren rolled a single up the middle to plate another. Lantigua hit into a fielder's choice to bring home Curran, and the Shorebirds had cut it to 11-6 after the four-run seventh.
The Shorebirds got the same flow going in the eighth, started again with a leadoff single by Turchin. After a lineout, Roberts notched another single, and Encarnacion walked on four pitches to load the bases. Curran then punched an opposite-field line drive single to left, scoring Roberts to get it to 11-7 and bring the potential tying run to bat. Horvath tapped a swinging bunt right in front of the plate that nobody could get to, brinigng in another. Ogren followed with a line drive single to left, and Lantigua drew a bases-loaded four-pitch walk to cut it to 11-10, still with just one out.
Robert Neustrom and Turchin both struck out in succession to end the threat before its climax, but the Grenier to Roberts connection finished the job in the next frame.
Two days after earning SAL All-Star Game MVP honors, Turchin led the way at the plate for the Shorebirds, going 3-for-6 with three runs scored and sparking both four-run innings. Lantigua went 1-for-4 with three RBIs in his team debut, while Roberts went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in his first game back since an Opening Day hand injury.
Grenier finished 1-for-4 with the game-tying run and his sixth career homer, five of which have come at Greensboro's expense, including four at First National Bank Field. Curran went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Horvath and Ogren each drove in two runs from the eight- and nine-holes.
Mottice sparked the Grasshopper offense at the top of the lineup, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two walks, and two RBIs. Macias finished 3-for-6 with two driven in, while Dorrian went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, and Koch and Susi each plated two.
Delmarva's furious rally got starter Ofelky Peralta off the hook after his shortest start of the season. Peralta lasted just three innings, giving up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout.
Greensboro's Luis Nova was in line to win before the collapse of his bullpen, holding the Shorebirds to two runs on two hits over six innings, walking one and fanning seven.
Matt De La Rosa battled through two scoreless relief innings in the eighth and ninth before handing the baton off to Peluffo for the stretch run.
After a first half filled with heart-stopping wins, Delmarva opened the second half with its largest comeback by runs this season, overtaking a five-run surge to beat Lakewood on April 13. Both the Shorebirds' first and second half openers this season went to extras with Delmarva claiming one-run victories in each. The Shorebirds are now 12-5 this season in games decided in the winning team's last at-bat.
The Shorebirds go for an encore performance against the Grasshoppers on Friday night. Ryan Wilson (2-2, 5.40) toes the rubber for Delmarva against Greensboro's Steven Jennings (5-6, 5.14). First pitch is set for 7:00, and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:45 with Will DeBoer on the call.