Vines Untouchable as Legends Smother 'Birds Early

SALISBURY, MD - The Lexington Legends jumped on Lucas Humpal and the Delmarva Shorebirds early, scoring six runs in the first three innings and cruising to a 9-2 win on Wednesday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
Jace Vines (9-4) earned the win for the Legends (11-8, 45-43) in an eight-inning gem, allowing two runs on five hits while walking none and striking out five. Lucas Humpal (4-8) took the loss for the Shorebirds (10-10, 39-49), who have dropped six of eight since beginning the second half 8-4. Humpal allowed six run on 10 hits in seven innings, walking none and striking out two.
Lexington jumped on Humpal early. Rudy Martin led off the game with a single and stole second base, then two batters later Khalil Lee belted an RBI triple to right center. Lee later scored on a groundout by Emanuel Rivera to make it 2-0.
Joe Dudek, Manny Olloque, and Marten Gasparini notched three straight one-out singles in the second, with Gasparini's chasing home Dudek. Two batters later, Angelo Castellano plated two more with a two-out double to left, and the Legends had a 5-0 lead. Rivera's solo home run to lead off the third made it a 6-0 cushion.
Delmarva broke up the shutout in the fourth. Jake Ring led off the inning with a double, his league-leading 25th of the season, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Preston Palmeiro then got Ring home with a sac fly to center to make it 6-1. The RBI was Palmeiro's 50th of the season; he becomes the fourth player in the South Atlantic League to reach the mark this season.
Both pitchers settled in from there. Humpal didn't allow a run in his final four innings, giving up just two singles the rest of the way and at one point retiring eight in a row.
The teams traded runs in the eighth inning. Rivera drew a one-out walk off Delmarva reliever Tyler Erwin in the top of the inning; he eventually scored on a groundout by Meibrys Viloria. In the bottom of the inning, Ryan McKenna led off with a single and Stuart Levy doubled him over to third. Cole Billingsley then lifted a flyball to deep center, plating McKenna to make it 7-2.
The Legends put the final nails in the coffin with two in the ninth. Lee notched a sac fly and Rivera picked up his third RBI with a two-out single.
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis made a rehab appearance for the Shorebirds, batting second in the designated hitter slot. The two-time American League home run king went 0-for-4 at the plate with a strikeout and double play.
The bottom of the Shorebird order combined for three of the team's five hits. Milton Ramos went 1-for-3 in his first home game for Delmarva, as did McKenna and Levy.
Rivera paced the Legend attack, going 2-for-4 with the solo home run and three RBIs. Castellano drove in a pair of runs, Martin scored twice, and Gabriel Cancel and Olloque each had three-hit nights.
Earlier in the night the Orioles confirmed the acquisition of right-handed reliever Aaron Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for international signing bonus slots. The 23-year-old now-Shorebird made 17 appearances for the Midwest League's Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, going 2-0 with a 4.37 ERA and three saves.
The Shorebirds get back to work on Thursday night as Zach Muckenhirn (4-7, 4.89) squares off against fellow southpaw Andre Davis (5-2, 4.33). First pitch is 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6:00. Thursday is Mystery Bobblehead Giveaway Night at Perdue Stadium. The first 300 fans through the gates will receive a random bobblehead that the Shorebirds collected from other teams and organizations. It's also a Kiss 95.9 Thirsty Thursday, featuring $2 Miller Lite and Coors Lights and Pepsi products. Thursday is another Maryland Pride Thursday featuring the Maryland flag jerseys. 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.