Schoop's Grand Performance Carries Aberdeen to Victory, 14-4

Aberdeen, MD- In just his third game in an IronBirds' uniform, Jonathan Schoop gave a performance that will be remembered for a long time.

Schoop hit two home runs, a sixth inning grand slam and an eighth inning 3-run blast, giving him a franchise-record 7 RBIs in the game. The two homers were part of a 4-5 night and a 8-14 stint with the IronBirds, lifted the team back over .500 with a resounding 14-4 victory.

The game did not start out in promising fashion, as IronBirds righthander Sebastian Vader did not look particularly sharp early on. After recording the first batter he faced, Vader surrendered back-to-back triples to Vermont's two and three hitters, B.J. Boyd and Tyler Marincov. Marincov came around to score on a double from cleanup man Ryan Huck, and the IronBirds faced an early 2-0 deficit.

In the third, the IronBirds would take advantage of some wild pitching to grab the lead. With one out, Jeff Kemp doubled to right, and one out later, Trey Mancini plated Kemp with a ground ball single up the middle. Vermont starter Jose Torres then lost command of the strike zone, walking the next two hitters to load the bases. Austin Wynns, who went 4-4 in last night's contest, blooped a base hit to center, scoring two and giving the IronBirds a 3-2 advantage.

The lead, however, would be short-lived. With two out in the fourth, Vader gave up an RBI double off the bat of catcher Josh Miller. However, Miller would be stranded at second, as Vader got an inning-ending strikeout to escape further damage.

The Lake Monsters would use another triple in the sixth to reclaim the lead, but in the bottom half of the inning, the IronBirds responded in a big way. With nobody out, the IronBirds loaded the bases without the ball leaving the infield. Federico Castagnini led off by reaching base on an error by third baseman Luis Baez. Mike Yastrzemski laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line, beating it out for a hit. Jeff Kemp, attempting to sacrifice the runners over, instead reached base himself on an error, and the stage was set for Schoop. Schoop rose to the occasion, sending a high fastball from Vermont reliever Lee Sosa soaring over the right field fence. It was the ninth grand slam in franchise history and the first since Sam Kimmel hit one in Vermont at the end of last season.

The IronBirds would score another run in the 6th, and padded their lead with two more in the 7th, widening their margin to 10-4. Schoop added another single in the 7th, his third hit of the night and his fourth time on base (he walked in his first plate appearance).

In the 8th, Schoop strode to the plate with two on and two out, a run already in in the frame. Schoop pulled a Fernand Cruzado offering deep to left, a no-doubter that bounced high off the visitor's clubhouse.

The IronBirds as a team pounded out a 17 hits, tying a season high set on July 3rd at Hudson Valley. The onslaught included two more knocks off the bat of Austin Wynns, who has raised his batting average from .197 to .253 with 6 hits in the past two games. The 14 runs scored were the most the IronBirds have scored at since their 21-run outburst July 3rd of last year.

The IronBirds head on the road tomorrow to start a two game set with Hudson Valley, who lead the IronBirds by 1.5 games in the McNamara Division. RHP Janser Severino (0-3, 3.90 ERA) will pitch for the IronBirds.

For ticket information, contact our box office at (410) 297-9292 or visit us online at www.IronBirdsbaseball.com.

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