Click here for game two boxscoreSALISBURY, MD - The Hagerstown Suns swept a doubleheader from the Delmarva Shorebirds on Tuesdsay night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, surging back to win the first game 9-8 and taking the second 8-5.In game one, the Shorebirds (20-24, 49-63) jumped ahead with a big
Click here for game two boxscore
SALISBURY, MD - The Hagerstown Suns swept a doubleheader from the Delmarva Shorebirds on Tuesdsay night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, surging back to win the first game 9-8 and taking the second 8-5.
In game one, the Shorebirds (20-24, 49-63) jumped ahead with a big first inning. Cole Billingsley led off with a single and Ryan McKenna walked. Preston Palmeiro followed with a single to load the bases, and Collin Woody took a pitch off the forearm to force in a run. Jake Ring brought home three more with a bases-clearing double to the right center gap to make it 4-0.
The Suns (24-19, 62-50) got one back in the top of the second on an Anderson Franco RBI single, but Delmarva retaliated for four more in the bottom of the second. Stuart Levy single to lead off, and McKenna doubled two batters later. Palmeiro lifted a two-run single into right, and Woody blasted the very next pitch over the wall in left center for his fifth home run of the year, giving the Shorebirds an 8-1 cushion.
Hagerstown began its climb back in the top of the third. Blake Perkins led off with a single and Telmito Agustin walked. An Aldrem Corredor single loaded the bases, and Jake Noll got one home on a sac fly to right to make it 8-2.
Nick Banks led off the fourth with a walk and Oliver Ortiz singled two batters later. Up came Paul Panaccione, who unleashed a liner over the wall in the left field corner for his first Hagerstown home run of the year, a three-run shot to cut the deficit to 8-5.
In the sixth, Franco worked a one-out walk. After a strikeout, Panaccione came through again, crushing another liner over the left center wall for his second home run of the game to cut it to one. Perkins worked out another walk, and on a full count pitch Tyler Beckwith lifted one to deep left center that fell to the warning track. Perkins raced around with the tying run and Beckwith slid in with an RBI triple. Corredor put Hagerstown up in the next at-bat, poking a flare into left cetner to score Beckwith and make it 9-8.
The Shorebirds got men on first in the sixth and seventh innings but could never push them around, giving away their biggest lead of the season in a loss.
Kyle Simonds (5-0) earned the win in relief for the Suns, tossing three scoreless innings of four-hit ball. Jake Bray (2-4) blew the save and took the loss, letting Steven Klimek's inherited runner score and ceding the go-ahead run in an inning and a third. Sam Held picked up the save with two scoreless in the sixth and seventh.
Neither starter factored into the decision in the first game. Matthias Dietz lasted four innings for the Shorebirds, giving up five runs on seven hits. The Suns got just two innings out of Ben Braymer, who allowed eight runs on seven hits.
Delmarva took another early lead in the nightcap. Ring singled with one out in the second inning, then two batters later Milton Ramos cracked a shallow flyball to left. Ortiz dove for the ball but missed, allowing Ring to score from first and Ramos to make it to second with an RBI double, making it 1-0 for the home side.
This lead was short-lived, though, as the Suns rebounded with six in the top of the third. Adderling Ruiz, Angelo La Bruna, and Perkins hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs, and Panaccione drew a walk to force in the tying run. After a fielder's choice at the plate, Jake Noll lifted a sac fly to right, scoring Perkins to put Hagerstown on top. Banks followed that up with a triple to deep left center to chase home two more. Beckwith worked out a walk and Ortiz double home Banks. Ruiz came up for a second time in the inning and beat out an infield single, scoring Beckwith to make it 6-1.
Shorebirds manager Ryan Minor was ejected from the game after the Ruiz infield single, which was originally ruled an out until the umpiring crew overturned the call after determining Palmeiro's foot came off the bag as he stretched for the throw from third base.
Delmarva chipped away for a run in the bottom of the third on a two-out Ring RBI single, but Hagerstown reinforced its lead with a Panaccione sac fly in the fourth. Ruiz drove in another run with a two-out single in the fifth to increase the lead to 8-2.
Alejandro Juvier started a Shorebird rally in the sixth with a leadoff single. After Ramos hit into a fielder's choice, Frank Crinella lined a single into left to put two on. Daniel Fajardo rolled a ground-rule double down the left field line to score one. After Billingsley walked, Ryan McKenna dropped a flare in left, scoring Crinella. Palmeiro brought home another on a Baltimore chop to first base, making it a three-spot in the inning and an 8-5 deficit. Woody then grounded out to second to end the threat.
Delmarva got the tying run to the plate again in the seventh on singles by Juvier and Crinella, but Fajardo lined out sharply to first to end it, and the Suns had the sweep.
Jake Barnett (1-0) picked up a relief win for the Suns, giving up three runs on six hits in 3.1 innings; starter Steven Fuentes only lasted two-plus, allowing two runs on four hits before leaving with an injury. Travis Seabrooke (3-6) took the loss after giving up six runs on four hits in a 2.2-inning spot start. Phil Morse saved the second game with 1.2 scoreless frames.
Ring went 3-for-8 in the two games with his 30th double of the season, a run, and four RBIs. Woody drove in three in the first game and Palmeiro plated three between the pair.
Panaccione drove in seven runs in the doubleheader, plating five on the two homers in game one and picking up two more in the nightcap. Ruiz, who had just four hits all season coming into the night, went 3-for-3 in game two with a run and two RBIs.
Delmarva has now lost 11 games in a row, its longest skid since dropping 14 in a row to close out the 2011 season.
The Shorebirds finish off the series against the Suns on Wednesday night as Delmarva's Jhon Peluffo (6-5, 3.66) faces Hagerstown's Brigham Hill (0-0, 3.60). First pitch is 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6:00. Wednesday's game in included as part of the Shorebirds Silver Slugger package for fans 55 and older. Pregame coverage on Fox Sports AM 960 and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 6:50 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call.
