SAL1 Delmarva Shorebirds

'Birds Close the Gap, Win 3-2, Now a Half Game Out of First Place

Published on June 3, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release


Salisbury, Md.- The Delmarva Shorebirds are so hot that even the South Atlantic League's top pitcher could not put an end to the winning streak. The Shorebirds' Luis Noel outdueled the unbeaten Ryan Miller to give Delmarva their sixth straight win and pull the Birds to within a half game of first place in the Northern Division.

The Shorebirds drew first blood of the Captains' southpaw in the bottom of the second. With two outs, back-to-back doubles by Matt Tucker and Kieron Pope gave the Birds a 1-0 edge. The next batter, Victor Castillo, chipped in with an RBI single and the Shorebirds led 2-0.

With the early edge, Noel took it upon himself to keep the Captains' offense at bay. The twenty-year old righthander improved to 6-1 on the season with six sensational innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Although he walked four Lake County batters, he consistently made the big pitch to escape with runners on base.

After the Captains scored a run on an RBI ground out in the fifth to cut the deficit to 2-1, the Shorebirds got a much-needed insurance run with one big swing. First baseman Anthony Martinez drilled his fifth homer of the season over the left field wall to give the Birds a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Although Lake County was able to get a run back in the top of the seventh on Ron Rivas' sacrifice fly, the Shorebirds bullpen held strong. Shane Mathews, Brett Bordes, and Mick Mattaliano combined to hold onto the one-run lead and preserve another victory. Dealing with an increasingly steady rain and the aggressive Captains batters, Mattaliano pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 12th save of the season. While Joe Nowicki's 14-game hitting streak came to an end, the Shorebirds continued their winning ways, extending their longest streak of victories this season and bringing their record to a 2008-best nine games over .500. Delmarva will strive for a three-game sweep of Lake County on Wednesday night; a win would put the Shorebirds in first place for the first time this season.

Check out the Delmarva Shorebirds Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 3, 2008


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