'Birds, Suns Split Sunday Twin Bill

Click here for Game 2 boxscore
SALISBURY, MD - The Delmarva Shorebirds shut out the Hagerstown Suns 4-0 in game one but couldn't close the door in game two, falling 8-5 to split the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
Game One
Matthias Dietz (4-1) pitched six scoreless innings in the opener, allowing three hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Tomas Alestre (1-2) took the loss for Hagerstown, giving up three runs on three hits in five innings.
The Shorebirds wasted no time once again putting up runs in the first inning. Kirvin Moesquit led off the game with a four-pitch walk and stole second base. Mason McCoy then unloaded to left for a two-run home run, his first of the year.

Two batters later, Trevor Craport joined the long ball party, smashing a deep fly ball out to similar real estate as McCoy, to push the 'Birds' lead to 3-0.
That's all it would take for Dietz to weave through the Suns' order. Dietz at one point retired 11 batters in a row, making quick work of Hagerstown in the third through sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Zach Jarrett added insurance run, turning on a Phil Morse pitch for his eighth home run of the year and pushing the Shorebirds lead to 4-0.

Alex Katz came in to shut things down in the top of the seventh, sending down all three batters he faced and striking out Cole Freeman to end it and end the Shorebirds' fifth shutout win of the year.
The three home runs tied for the most in a game for Delmarva this season.
Game Two
Control issues were the Shorebirds' (26-15) downfall in the seventh inning of game two. Down 5-4, the Suns (15-26) picked up three walks in the first four batters of the inning and wasted no time taking full advantage. Alex Flores plated two big runs on a double to left that put Hagerstown back up, and Cameron Esthay followed that with a two-run single of his own to push the Hagerstown lead to 8-5.
Sam Held (2-2) picked up the win in game two, allowing two hits and striking out one over two scoreless innings. Timothy Naughton (0-1) endured a blown save and loss in his Shorebird debut, allowing four runs on three hits in 1.1 innings.
Ryan Wilson struggled in his start of the season for Delmarva, managing to go just a third of an inning. Wilson gave up three hits, walked three, and was charged with four first-inning runs for Hagerstown, who batted around.
Delmarva was able to scrape one run across in the first inning. Moesquit led off the game similarly to how he did in the opener by working a walk off of Suns' starter Andrew Lee, who started off his first four batters with a full count. After a wild pitch that allowed Moesquit to move to second, Craport came through with a two-out RBI single to put the 'Birds' in the scoring column at 4-1.
In the second, Lee's control issues led to a McCoy bases loaded walk, the fourth of the inning, allowing Max Hogan to cross the plate with another run. Craport continued his hot Sunday in the third, pounding another long ball for his second homer of the afternoon and trimming Hagerstown's lead to 4-3.
McCoy was the big bat the 'Birds' needed in the bottom of the fourth inning. After an infield single and hit-by-pitch, McCoy rocketed a two-run triple into the left-center gap to give Delmarva their first lead of game two at 5-4.

Meanwhile, Cameron Ming settled in brilliantly in his first appearance with Delmarva, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven Suns over 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Naughton came in and worked out of trouble in the sixth before the Suns got to him in the seventh.
McCoy finished his blazing doubleheader 3-for-6 with a triple, home run, and five RBIs. Craport went 3-for-7 with two home runs and three driven in. McCoy and Craport combined for all of Delmarva's RBIs in the nightcap.

Flores and Esthay combined for three hits and six RBIs in the seven- and eight- slots for Hagerstown in game two.
The Shorebirds now head down to Hickory for a four-game series with the Crawdads beginning on Monday night. Brenan Hanifee (4-1, 2.56) will look to get Delmarva back to their winning ways against a Hickory starter to be announced. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 5:45 with Will DeBoer on the call.