'Birds Win Suspended Game, Washed out at Night
August 2, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Delmarva Shorebirds News Release
GREENVILLE, SC - The Delmarva Shorebirds completed an 8-5 win over the Greenville Drive, finishing Thursday night's suspended game on Friday afternoon at Fluor Field at the West End. Friday night's regularly scheduled game was cancelled due to rain.
Nick Vespi (7-5) earned the win in relief for the Shorebirds (27-13, 75-34), tossing two scoreless innings, one the night before and one in the afternoon, with one hit and four strikeouts. Alex Scherff (4-10) was officially tagged with the loss for the Drive (16-34, 48-62), allowing four runs on five hits in four innings on Thursday night.
Delmarva resumed the game already leading 4-0 in the top of the fifth. On Thursday night the Shorebirds got a pair of runs in the third on a Zach Watson double, Adam Hall RBI double, and Johnny Rizer RBI single. Ryne Ogren and Seamus Curran then cranked solo home runs in the fourth.
After a pair of quick frames to begin the resumption, the Shorebirds erupted again in the seventh. Alexis Torres reached on a two-base error in center to lead off, then Nick Horvath banged a double off the Green Monster in left to score Torres and make it 5-0. After a flyout and strikeout, Rizer worked a 12-pitch at-bat and lined a single into shallow right, scoring Horvath. Jean Carlos Encarnacion came up next and banged an RBI triple to the wall in right, and Ogren capped the big frame with a double to score Encarnacion and make it 8-0 Delmarva.
Greenville rallied in the seventh and eighth to make things interesting. Tyler Esplin led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single and eventually scored on a wild pitch. The Drive then worked four walks off reliever Matthew Hammonds to force in another run and make it 8-2, but Hammonds got Triston Casas to ground out and leave the bases loaded.
In the eighth, Jordan Wren led off with a base hit and advanced to second on a groundout. After a walk to Alan Marrero, Tyler Dearden slashed a triple down the right field line that rolled along the curved fence in right, scoring Wren and Marerro. Cole Brannen then grounded out to second to plate Dearden and cut the Shorebird lead to 8-5.
Delmarva reliever Jhon Peluffo buckled down from there, though, getting the final out of the eighth and allowing just a single in the ninth before finishing the job.
Ogren finished 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and two RBIs to lead the way for the Shorebirds. Rizer went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs, while Curran's solo homer was his team-leading 16th of the season.
Dearden led the Drive attack, going 1-for-4 with a triple, two runs, and two RBIs.
Delmarva's Gray Fenter made the start when the game began on Thursday, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out four. With his first strikeout of Everlouis Lozada in the first inning, Fenter became the first Shorebird this season to notch 100 punchouts.
Friday night's regularly-scheduled game began on time, but the rain started in earnest in the bottom of the second, forcing a delay and later the cancellation. Since the Shorebirds and Drive don't meet again this season the game will not be made up.
The Shorebirds begin the next leg of their road trip with the first of four at the Charleston RiverDogs on Saturday night. Grayson Rodriguez (8-3, 2.74) is slated to start the opener for Delmarva against Charleston's Josh Maciejewski (0-1, 1.50). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch App begins at 5:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 2, 2019
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- Four-Run Sixth Lifts West Virginia to 8-5 Comeback Win - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Jackets Take Series Finale with 13-7 Friday Win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
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- Dogs Bullpen Dominates Game Three as Charleston Wins Series - Charleston RiverDogs
- Suns Utilize Errors to Clinch Series - Hagerstown Suns
- Intimidators Sweep Columbia - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- 'Birds Win Suspended Game, Washed out at Night - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Vientos Impressive in Series at Kannapolis - Columbia Fireflies
- Drive Drop Resumed Game; Game Two Rained Out - Greenville Drive
- Hagerstown Suns: Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Fireflies Game Notes: August 2 at Kannapolis (Games 106 & 107) - Columbia Fireflies
- Scam Jam Set for Saturday, August 3rd - Augusta GreenJackets
- RiverDogs Name Four Finalists for 'Top Dog' of the Season to be Decided by the Fans - Charleston RiverDogs
- Fireflies to Host Back to School Night School Supply Drive on August 16 - Columbia Fireflies
- Braves Use Patience, Pitching to Defeat Suns 5-3 - Rome Emperors
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