'Birds Battle Back, But Fall 5-4 to Lakewood
April 18, 2008 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release
Michael Durant launched a towering blast over the left field wall leading off the eighth inning, putting the BlueClaws on top for good in a see-saw Friday night affair at FirstEnergy Park. Durant's fourth homer of the season broke a 4-4 tie and put Lakewood in position for their sixth win of the year, their second triumph in four meetings with the Shorebirds.
Delmarva led 1-0 after Joe Nowicki's first home run of the year, a solo shot in the first, but the Shorebirds stranded the bases loaded in the same inning, missing a chance for some much-needed runs. Delmarva stranded the bases loaded twice, and left nine runners aboard on the night.
Tied at one in the fourth, Tyler Henson also clocked a fastball into the bleacher seats for his premier long ball of the season. The Shorebirds 2-1 advantage was quickly erased, however, as Lakewood scored a run apiece in the fourth, fifth, and sixth to take a 4-2 lead.
Delmarva starter Tony Butler left in the sixth, going five plus innings allowing only one earned run, however the Shorebirds committed four costly errors on the evening and scored three unearned tallies against Butler.
The Shorebird offense rallied to get Butler off the hook for the loss, scoring one in the seventh and another in the eighth to knot the ballgame at four, but Durant's explosive swing won it for Lakewood later in the inning. Delmarva went quietly in the ninth off of Jared Simon, who earned his first save of the year for Lakewood.
Jeff Moore relieved Butler in the sixth and went three very solid innings, but his only blemish-the Durant bomb-would be enough to tack him with his first loss of the year. The defeat snaps Delmarva's two game winning streak, and they will look to stay above .500 on Saturday afternoon, a 1:05 first pitch.
South Atlantic League Stories from April 18, 2008
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- The Braves Swat the Gnats - Rome Emperors
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- Power snap seven game skid - Charleston Dirty Birds
- 'Birds Battle Back, But Fall 5-4 to Lakewood - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Holy Hickory! Crawdads win thriller 8-6 - Hickory Crawdads
- Rome Braves Make Roster Moves - Rome Emperors
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