CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston RiverDogs came out on top in a back-and-forth Sunday showdown, defeating the Delmarva Shorebirds 7-5 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Brandon Wagner singled to right to lead off, and Carlos Vidal followed with a
CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston RiverDogs came out on top in a back-and-forth Sunday showdown, defeating the Delmarva Shorebirds 7-5 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Brandon Wagner singled to right to lead off, and Carlos Vidal followed with a single of his own to left. Leonardo Molina then laid down a bunt to the third base side. Pitcher Jhon Peluffo had a play at third base, but his throw popped out of the mitt of Collin Woody and trickled into left field, allowing Wagner to come around and score to break the tie. After another bunt single to load them up and a strikeout, Oswaldo Cabrera laced a fly ball to right deep enough to score Vidal and make it 7-5.
The RiverDogs (15-16) then put the ball in the hand of closer Anyelo Gómez, who faltered with one out with a walk to Preston Palmeiro. Daniel Fajardo then singled to left to put the tying men on. That would be as close as the Shorebirds (14-16) would get, though, as Gomez struck out pinch-hitter Cole Billingsley and Alejandro Juvier to end it.
Kolton Mahoney (1-2) blew a save but picked up the win for Charleston, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of relief. Peluffo (3-1) took his first loss after giving up the two unearned runs on five hits in 3.1 innings. Gomez locked down his seventh save, four of which have come at the expense of Delmarva.
The Shorebirds wasted no time getting going in the first inning. Ryan McKenna led off with an infield single, and Jake Ring followed with a fly ball to the left field corner that just cleared the fence for a two-run homer. Estevan Florial led off the home half of the first inning with his own homer to right center to make it 2-1.
Delmarva reinforced the lead in the third inning as Daniel Fajardo singled home a run with two on and one out. In the fourth, Ring blasted another fly to dead center for his second round-tripper of the game, making it 4-1 Shorebirds.
Charleston made its move in the bottom of the fifth against Shorebird starter Travis Seabrooke. Vidal led off with a single and Molina drew a walk. After a flyout, Florial singled to right to plate Vidal. Cabrera then came up and cracked a line drive to left field for his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to give the RiverDogs a 5-4 lead.
Ring sparked another rally in the top of the eighth, lacing a one-out double to right center. Chris Clare followed with a cueball single through the hole on the right side. Ring raced to the plate and slid in ahead of the tag, tying the game and setting up Charleston's response in the bottom of the frame.
Ring finished the day 4-for-5 with the double, two home runs, and three RBIs. He now has 20 extra-base hits this season, leading the league and doubling his total from 54 games last season. Clare went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI, while Fajardo and Juvier each had two hits. The Shorebirds left 13 men on base in the game, a season-high.
Florial and Vidal each had two hits and scored twice for the RiverDogs. Cabrera drove in four runs on the day, while Florial plated two. Charleston had seven home runs on the entire season before clubbing two in the game.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Delmarva's Seabrooke got knocked out in the fifth inning, allowing five runs on six hits in 4.2 frames. Charleston's Adonis Rosa gave up four runs (three earned) on nine hits in five innings.
The Shorebirds wrap up the series and the road trip on Monday night as Alex Wells (2-1, 1.13) squares off with Freicer Perez (0-1, 5.21). First pitch is 7:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports AM 960 and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 5:50 p.m. with Will DeBoer on the call.
